Reinaldo Marcus Green has made some great biographical dramas. Joe Bell has its moments and King Richard is one of the better biopics in recent years. Music biopics are even trickier, and Bob Marley: One Love tries its best behind some great performances from Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch.
But good efforts are only half the battle. And One Love struggles thanks to its unwillingness to break through the music biopic tropes. While not as dizzying as Elvis or cliché as I Wanna Dance With Somebody, One Love plays it safer than both (at least Elvis was visually ambitious, if nothing else).
It's not completely bad, though, as the concert sequences are well-shot and both Ben-Adir and Lynch give great performances. However, the presence of the Marley family — who produced the film — hinders the film's ability to tell the actual story. The film's editing choices also make it hard to stay invested in the rise of one Bob Marley throughout.
Bob Marley: One Love review
Taking place from the seventies until 1981, One Love chronicles Bob Marley's (Ben-Adir) rise to stardom. This is a film that primarily takes place between his studio albums. Right off the bat, the film portrays his Smile Jamaica concert and the attempted murder that happened prior to it.
From there, the film takes off running as Marley's career catches fire. However, the rhythm of One Love only allows for him to create one of his breakthrough hits, go on the road with a few character-centric scenes, get back in the studio, and repeat this cycle.
It's a frustrating cycle, to say the least. When Marley isn't on the road or in the studio, One Love is just boring. Ben-Adir is as charismatic as possible in an otherwise bland script. But his humanitarian efforts and meetings with record label producers can only go so far.
Annoying plot structure
The constant cycle of story beats isn't even One Love's biggest problem. 90% of the film's runtime is devoted to present-day Marley in the seventies. However, there are scenes sprinkled in that show some moments from his formative youth years.
But these scenes abrasively interrupt other ones, making it jarring the first couple of times. One Love clearly had no interest in delving into the early portion of his life in any sort of meaningful way — which explains the breezy 104-minute runtime — and as a result, these flashbacks feel like sequences that were filmed during the reshoot period and shoehorned into the final product.
Maybe the story of Marley's younger years isn't as important as, say, Michael Jackson's. After all, we do get to see the beginnings of his relationship with Rita (Lynch), which is what the film largely hones in on. But the film constantly alludes to Marley's father, who left when he was a child. For a film that constantly alludes to it, I left with no more knowledge about this part of his life than I entered.
Great performances
Even still, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch do their best to carry One Love. Bob Marley had such a unique stage presence, one that requires excellent cardio stamina. Ben-Adir really does a fine job of replicating this on stage, even if he still doesn't hit the same gear Marley does (it's evident in the credits when real-life footage of Bob Marley is shown).
It's also unclear to me whether or not Ben-Adir is doing his own singing in the film. Either way, he isn't Taron Egerton in Rocketman, who knocked it out of the park singing Elton John's hits. It wouldn't surprise me to learn that Ben-Adir is lip-syncing in One Love, but that's fine. Marley's voice is one-of-a-kind and it easily could have been off-putting if Ben-Adir wasn't up to the task.
The dramatic anchor of One Love is undoubtedly Lynch. As his career skyrockets, Marley's relationship with Rita begins crumbling. Rita was the one who grounded Marley, appreciating him for the man he was before the fame and glory.
While the film is unafraid to show their relationship's tension, there is plenty left to the imagination (or post-screening Wikipedia searches).
The most glaring example of this is when Rita brings up the “other women” in Marley's life. While Ziggy Marley is shown in the film a handful of times as a child, we hardly see any of the other 10 kids he had, nor do we see any of these other women for more than a millisecond.
The Marley family's influence
This may speak to a greater issue with music biopics. Of course, any loved one of the subject's life would want to be involved. The last thing you want is a hit piece on the beloved Bob Marley. But even Elton John put aside his ego for Rocketman, which was an unapologetically brutal look at his life. Even Walk the Line wasn't afraid to show the dark parts of Johnny Cash's life.
One Love struggles to get off the ground because of its creative limitations. Marley's romantic life is largely swept under the rug and relegated to a few quick lines. His father's presence in his mind is also brushed over. It makes the film feel like a puff piece more than anything. Perhaps that's what the Marley family wanted.
Should you watch Bob Marley: One Love?
Music biopics are, unfortunately, going nowhere. Bob Marley: One Love had the makings of something great — from the actors involved to the discography at the filmmaker's fingertips — but falls very short.
Reinaldo Marcus Green should be off the hook, though, as it feels like he was held hostage against greater creative forces. He's pigeonholed by the Marley family's unwillingness to tackle the darker parts of the story. The 104-minute runtime is not utilized to its fullest potential, playing more like an album of skippable tracks than the greatest hits compilation most biopics are.
And it's ironic considering Ziggy Marley appears on the screen before the film kicks off. He goes on about his desire to tell his father's story accurately. For as admirable as that is, his effort fell short.
Bob Marley: One Love is a disappointment. It left me with the feeling that every little thing is not gonna be alright for music biopics.
Grade: C
Bob Marley: One Love will be released on February 14.
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