I'm not, but any means, a fan of Reggae music. But I'm a fan of the idealogy that everyman can live side by side without conflict. I knew the songs, because who doesn't and it was an enjoyable movie. I've heard a lot was missed out, but from a passive viewpoint, it was a great insight into a genius man.
Before my screening there was a special message from Ziggy Marley ensuring the movie would be true to life because he attached himself as a producer to this project. If that's true, then Bob Marley probably doesn't deserve his own film. What I see here is another sanitized, bland Hollywood biopic, it's basically Walk Hard Part 7 at this point. I think we have to come to terms with Straight Outta Compton being the last great music biopic for a while, because the success of Bohemian Rhapsody has been an absolute travesty for this genre. This is another case of a movie that's strongly lacking in focus, character development, structure and above all authenticity. Where to even begin? The pathetic attempts at abstract imagery, the comical depiction of the UK punk scene, the obligatory success montage, the usual 'we improvised this song on the spot and it turned out to be a classic' scene, the way it quickly brushes over the more complicated aspects of Marley's personality; it's all so phony. I couldn't even tell you what the movie is about as a whole. New plot developments are introduced very awkwardly (political situation in Jamaica; shooting; cancer) only to be pushed to the side five minutes later. Because of that there's no real climax, dramatic build or pay-off. Still, there are a couple of positives. It's passable from a technical perspective, however for a movie about Jamaican reggae it should've been stronger on psychedelic vibes. The music is obviously a major highlight, and I thought Ben-Adir's vocals blended very seamlessly with Marley's. It's his performance combined with the scene stealing Lashana Lynch that keep the movie watchable, but none of that changes I think this is a massive waste of time.
3.5/10
It's fine, just nothing all that memorable.
I had a pleasant enough time viewing 'Bob Marley: One Love', though it does kinda seem a bit hollow post-watch - as in I don't feel like I've learned much nor actually seen that much, the movie has like three noteworthy events but then that's kinda it. The music from those involved also didn't feel amazingly utilised, I guess they didn't want it to be too jukebox-y.
Kingsley Ben-Adir does well in the lead role as Bob Marley himself. I'm not a Marley superfan or anything close, I basically only know his biggest hits, but the resemblance of Ben-Adir seemed off to me - a thought that was only solidified when the real Marley appears via archive footage at the end. Perhaps that's just me, though.
Lashana Lynch gives a good performance, spearheading the rest of the cast who are alright; interesting to see James Norton, Michael Gandolfini too... even if I didn't realise it was Gandolfini until the credits. Overall, it does feel like the film only scratches the surface of Marley's life. I wanted more from it, but to be fair it is still a decent flick in my opinion.
Huge Bob Marley fan. Terrible film. The commenters who said the acting is good must be smoking some good sh*t… ooh and let’s use the word biopic.
They did a good job with the trailer. They made me believe that this film would be captivating. Unfortunately, it was anything but.
Boring and messy movie, doesn't know exactly what it's trying to show us at the end of the day. Just like most biopics lately.
I'm not going to watch this film. I've seen plenty of footage of Marley both performing and in interviews over my lifetime. From the trailers, I can see that the casting of the central role is just plain wrong. Plonking on a dreads wig does not magically transform an actor into Bob Marley, you need to act like him too and Kingsley is clearly not up to the job.
Bob Marley and his music crosses generation of people and whatever tastes in music you have Bobs music winds its way into alot of people's soul, but alas, this film does nothing to cement that, messy up and down with subliminal messages of his childhood with no real foundation of what he was really like. it's a 6 out of 10 from me, and that's because the music playing was actually him.
Don't understand a thing in this movie
Nothing but a cash grab.
Underwhelming and uninformative. A lot of music biopics feel fake, and this fits right in. The production felt good, same with the cinematography, but it's nothing great. The acting from Kingsly felt so put on it took me out of several scenes. The whole 'biopic' side was so unbalanced. It dragged out parts that don't add to his life and completely misses parts that do. The musical side to this was great because of Bob's songs. The dialogue and pacing match each other in the number of times I eye rolled. A letdown from the key parts I thought it needed but an adventure for the good few parts.
The acting is great, and I learned a bit about Bob Marley's life, or what Hollywood released anyway. The acting was fantastic, and of course the music is legendary, hence the reason a movie would be made about him in the first place. This was a fun biopic, assume 85-90% is non-sense, and focus on the facts, the things from the news, etc., and enjoy the ride, music, and insight into a yet another flawed Human, who despite his flaws was able to help push a much needed revolution towards love and away from war; too bad the people in power are too ignorant to listen to the message.
I've always liked Bob Marley. I'm glad this was a well done biopic, I really enjoyed it.
Pretty run of the mill biopic. Killer performances from Ben-Adir and Lynch anchor but don’t elevate a formulaic script. I appreciate it trying to focus on one part of Marley’s life, and more experimental things like the field burning, but it still hits all the beats you’d expect and treads no new ground.
I knew nothing about Bob Marley's life (shame on me) and I can't believe what an interesting life he had. The songs are obviously amazing and I thought all the actors did a good job.
There are a few scenes that weren't necessary in my opinion (like the manager stealing money, it doesn't add anything to the story they're telling in my opinion but if it happened, I get they want to show that also).
There is one scene where a plane lands in London that looks so fake and it's hilarious because it's not even an important shot.
What's that one biopic where they take an iconic and unique individual's life and force it through the Hollywood grinder to make generic pap for the masses? Oh yeah, all of them.
Bob Marley took an entire genre of music and made it special. Important. This (albeit earnest) movie with its info dumps, flashbacks, and God-awful wigs does neither to Bob Marley's legacy.
One Love is like a sausage: all Polish and no Heart. Watch the documentary Marley (2012) instead.
(I did enjoy the reference to the documentary White Riot which explored Rock Against Racism movement in 1970s England, which paired reggae bands with punk bands so that whites and blacks would hang out together and support each other. In this movie, Bob and some Wailers are in a punk club and "The Clash" is on stage performing the song White Riot.)
I came in expecting a level of production like: Rocketman, A star is born, Lalaland but my god was I wrong. If you do not love Bob, then this movie ain't for you
Solid acting can’t lift this above just being okay. It kinda coasts through random parts of his life and feels like I’m getting a cliff notes version of this real life legend. It made me want to learn more about Bob Marley and atleast the music was really good when played. Better than Boheim Rhapsody atleast.
Shout by ToralfVIP 3BlockedParent2024-02-15T22:32:24Z
Even though 'Bob Marley: One Love' is definitely a rather generic biopic by the numbers, the movie does have a few highlights. Both Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch deliver strong performances as Bob and Rita Marley. And whenever you get the feeling that the plot is getting a bit tedious, the great music always makes up for it. It helps that 'Exodus' is such a fantastic album. All in all, a legend like Bob Marley might have deserved a more creative movie about himself, but it could have been far worse.