“Bob Marley: One Love” is a biographical film about the life of Bob Marley that will surely have reggae fans jamming. With standout performances from Kingsley Ben-Adir (Bob Marley) and Lashana Lynch (Rita Marley), the movie feels like a nonstop concert, though the plot itself is disappointingly surface level.
Rather than retelling Marley’s entire life, the film begins its story well into his career as a musician.
The story commences with Marley’s announcement that he’s going to hold a peace concert called “Smile Jamaica” in hopes of uniting the Caribbean nation despite warring political factions. It also details the danger of Jamaica in the midst of political conflict and digs into Marley’s personal relationships.
The film recounts important milestones in his life and career such as the assassination attempt on his group, the creation of “Exodus” and the “Smile Jamaica” concert.
The biopic focuses on Marley’s goal to unite Jamaica and the rest of the world with his powerful music.
The music in the film is what makes it worth the trip to the movie theater. The soundtrack features almost 20 songs that stretch across the entirety of Marley’s discography. Especially with the sound system of a theater, the scenes where Marley plays concerts or is thinking of new music were the most captivating in the film.
Something Bob Marley fans will like about the film is that it shows the events that inspired each of his songs. There was a scene where a classical record was playing in Bob’s house, and he asks what it’s called. The record is called “Exodus,” and the audience gets to watch as it inspires Marley’s hit song and future gold certified album.
While the music is on point, the storyline falls flat. I had expectations of a complex biographical film that dug into Marley’s inspirations and his music’s effect on Jamaica. “Bob Marley: One Love” does not deliver on this point.
The writing is somewhat shallow, and the story is fragmented between different points of Marley’s life. The story switches back and forth between his life as a child and his life as an adult, but these flashbacks hold very little substance.
I would have also liked to see more of people’s responses to Marley’s music outside of his concerts, as I think what made him so talented was the global reach of his music’s influence. Also, the movie’s less than two hour runtime simply isn’t enough to make it a complex or very compelling film.
Despite subpar writing, the movie is made especially enjoyable by the incredible acting from Ben-Adir and Lynch. These two channel Bob and Rita Marley beautifully in their performances.
A scene that stood out to me in particular was the scene involving the assassination attempt on Marley’s group. The moment Marley is shot is striking and heartbreaking as he stares his assailant down with a pleading expression but makes no attempt to run.
“Bob Marley: One Love” is a great watch for someone who appreciates Bob Marley’s music. If you’re expecting an enjoyable musical experience, then this film is for you.
I thoroughly enjoyed the musical portions of the movie, and the movie will definitely have its audience playing reggae on the car ride home.
Unfortunately, despite its enthralling music and phenomenal acting performances, its writing simply lacks the depth that would make it more compelling than a mediocre biopic.
It seems that Bob Marley fans will continue to wait in vain for a movie that better captures his essence.