by Chantal Ashford, Contributing Writer
Bob Marley: One Love is your typical biopic, but also not your standard biopic.
The filmbegins in 1977 with the political tension roaring through the small island of Jamaica, causing a civil uproar. Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) and the Wailers are practicing to perform at the Smile Jamaica free concert, and there’s an attempted assassination on Marley and his family’s life at their home. From there, we see the trials and tribulations Marley has to go through to record his next album, “Exodus,” and become the most prominent reggae musician in the world.
This film’s story only spans for over a year, which is short, as we don’t see the beginnings of how Marley got to where he is now, except for bits and pieces sprinkled throughout the movie whenever Marley is reminiscing the past he came from. As the film proceeds, we’re not looking at Bob Marley, the artist, but the person. The story delves into his background, the civil injustice in his country, and how he became the voice of his people for peace.
One Love just scratches the surface of the legendary musician. Marley is already an established artist in his country, a husband and a father before becoming a superstar when he released “Exodus” and jet sets on a world tour after settling in London. Marley leaves the civil unrest in his country, only to be met with racism and some pushback in London. However, he doesn’t let these moments defy him — he continues to bring peace before coming home after exiling himself and his family to bring harmony to his people.
Ben-Adir is astounding in this role. He had just come from playing Basketball Ken in Barbie to take on the larger-than-life icon while carrying on the Patois language and accent, which had to be challenging to master. But Ben-Adir does such a fantastic job as Marley that you sometimes need to remember you are watching an actor and not Marley himself. Sometimes, Ben-Adir can be slightly distracting with his attractive looks, but he loses himself in this natural person, down to the movements on stage and even to the wardrobe. Ben-Adir is a walking embodiment of Bob Marley. The only thing that is off was the height. Weird, I know, but Ben-Adir is over six feet, while Marley was short in stature, five-foot-seven. But when you think about it, Marley would feel like a giant at the height of his career.
Lashana Lynch as Bob’s wife Rita is nothing short of amazing as well. It is genuine to watch them play husband and wife, and parents to their children, while trying to get through life with the civil unrest. With every pained look, longing, or going toe-to-toe in an argument that could’ve broken them when Bob shows his jealous streak, you can feel everything Rita is going through while enduring the pain of being a musician’s wife.
From the soundtrack, the luscious beaches and the slums of Jamaica and London and the rest of the world, and solid performances, you have a decent biopic, but I still wanted more. There’s no reason we need to see his death (skin cancer at the age of 36). There was no reason to go melodramatic as the film already felt as such. Bob Marley: One Love is a formulaic, safe biopic, but a fine story.
Rating: Liked It
Bob Marley: One Love is currently playing in theaters
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