From his debut in the ’70s until his death from cancer in 1981, Bob Marley represented something different in the world of music. His personal beliefs played a vital role in his songwriting and he was a man who believed he could bring peace and unity to his country during a politically turbulent time.
His words and actions were honorable, and that makes this all the more heartbreaking because his biopic deserves more than a standard treatment. Unfortunately, that’s what the movie settles for. Here is a thoughtful film that fails to branch out of its conventions.
Bob Marley: One Love opens up with his One Love concert briefly before going back to his childhood and tracing his steps to becoming an international superstar. The adult Marley is played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, who adeptly slips into the role by providing the essence of Bob Marley. Not only in terms of his look and voice but also in terms of the inner struggles he went through, especially after being targeted for assassination.
We see a lot of Marley interacting with his band, the Wailers, in a series of studio recordings as they put together the Exodus album. Soon after, Marley and the Wailers go on an extensive European tour to promote, but it just feels like another box to be checked.
Lashana Lynch costars as his wife Rita. She tries to be the emotional foundation for her husband through all his trials and tribulations. Lynch’s performance is so good here that in a movie with a stronger screenplay, this could’ve been worthy of a Best Actress nomination. As it is, Lynch, like Bel-Adir, does an admirable job.
You’re not going to see much in Bob Marley: One Love that you haven’t seen in a lot of other musical biopics. The standard formula is once again repeated for this effort. While there are some effective individual scenes, the movie often feels disjointed with its editing in terms of where we are at times. Some scenes seem like they’re in a different movie altogether.
In the pantheon of musical biopics, Ray, Walk the Line, and Rocketman are perhaps the gold standards of biopics that are elevated by certain elements that at least try to branch out. One Love is content with giving us material that we already know, which makes the experience mediocre.
Aside from the wonderful work of Bel-Adir and Lynch, the movie is sincere in its portrayals of Marley’s life and music, but it refuses to give us anything more than superficial.
Grade: C
(Rated PG-13 for marijuana use and smoking throughout, some violence and brief strong language.)
