Bob Marley: One Love – Film Review
Kingsley Ben-Adir gives an impressive performance as Jamaican reggae legend Bob Marley in Bob Marley: One Love so it’s a shame the film itself is so unremarkable.
The film opens in 1976 when Bob is planning to perform at a peace concert in Kingston, Jamaica during a period of civil unrest and violence. After an assassination attempt, Bob and the Wailers move to London for safety and work on their album Exodus. The narrative also covers his successful European tour, his skin cancer diagnosis and his return to his homeland for the One Love concert in 1978.
This biographical drama rightfully tells a focused story instead of trying to span Bob’s entire life. Biopics often offer a better insight into their subject when they’re not trying to cover everything. Highlighting this portion of Bob’s life makes sense because so many important developments happened in such a short space of time. There were also some flashbacks to fill in the blanks. They weren’t all necessary but I liked seeing Bob meeting his future wife Rita (played by Lashana Lynch as an adult) and The Wailing Wailers performing Simmer Down.
Unfortunately, this film is very conventional and bland. It wasn’t bad but I disapproved of its safe and sanitised approach to Bob’s story. It focuses a lot on how he used music to promote peace and unite people (which is true) but it also skims over some of the more negative elements. There is a fantastic scene in which Rita confronts Bob about the way he treats her and I wanted more of that. Other than a physical altercation with his manager, Bob is depicted in a positive light and it’s probably no coincidence that Rita and his children Ziggy and Cedella are producers on the film.
It’s very easy to go overboard with the Jamaican accent but Ben-Adir adopts a convincing patois that never topples over into parody. Admittedly, his accent work is so realistic that it can be difficult to understand what he’s saying, but it is accurate and that’s more important. His portrayal of Bob cannot be faulted – in addition to the voice, he had the mannerisms and performance style nailed down. He and Lynch are the highlights of the film, so it’s a shame the material does not match up to what they’re giving.
Reinaldo Marcus Green directed a strong biopic with 2021’s King Richard, about Serena and Venus Williams’ father, so it’s a shame he’s produced something so unsatisfying and forgettable this time around.
In cinemas from Wednesday 14th February