Rastafarian royalty: A review of 'One Love'
At A Glance
- Kingsley Ben-Adir takes on the role of Bob Marley, and while he doesn't look much like Bob Marley, he does try his best to inhabit the persona.
One of the surprise hits of this young year (over $150 million in revenues as of last week), this Bob Marley biopic lorded it over the US box office for two full weeks. It would seem there’s still a residue of Rastafarian love percolating around the world, and it didn’t matter if Marley had passed away in 1981; his brand of reggae music continues to strike a chord and is loved across generations.
Kingsley Ben-Adir takes on the role of Bob Marley, and while he doesn’t look much like Bob Marley, he does try his best to inhabit the persona. Lashana Lynch plays Rita Marley, and despite the paucity of scenes, she makes a great impression on us. it’s a shame the screenplay did not offer her more to do. James Norton portrays Chris Blackwell, music producer and founder of Island Records, and we have Michael Gandolfini as Howard Bloom, the music publicist of the band.
Biopics of renowned musical acts often have a peculiar question to answer in terms of execution. One is whether to appeal to the die-hard fans of the musician, who already know a lot about their idol, so how can the film still excite these fans? Then there’s the film that’s trying to make new fans for the music, hitting a new generation, where a lot has to be spelled out as the film may be the first touch point for this younger audience to the artist and his/her music. There is even a third issue to consider, as if the film is being produced by the musician’s family or estate, they will almost always want a sanitized version of the artist’s career - so how gritty and real will the narrative be?
"One Love" tries to solve this problem by limiting the film's scope from when Marley had to go into exile in London for his safety to the making of the seminal Exodus album and his triumphant return to Kingston and the One Love concert. That’s roughly 1976 to 1978, and while in London, a gentler, less politically passionate Marley emerged and a philandering one, given that Rita and the children first flew to the United States.
Legend, Marley's greatest hits album, is, to this day, one of the best-selling compilation albums by any artist. It has sold over 25 million copies globally and ranks second historically to spend most weeks in the Billboard Top 200. That’s an outstanding record, and it helps us understand the appeal and success of the film in 2024. Critics have generally panned the film, griping how the screenplay leaves so much unsaid—the family produces it.
To a point, the critics do have it right. We don’t get a natural feeling about why the government hounded Marley and how politicized he was in his early Trenchtown days. The spiritual, ganja-fueled days seem to be the film's priority - creating more of a mood than giving us biographical detail. The confrontation scene between Bob and Rita outside a club reception could be one of the more genuine, dramatic scenes. His rendition of Redemption Song is one of my musical highlights in the film, and when clips of the real Marley fill the end credits, there’s so much more happening.
The unexpected success of One Love holds promise for the Amy Winehouse biopic Back to Black, due for a mid-April release. Plus, there’s the Michael Jackson film and reports of one film each for the four Beatles. There is much to look forward to in terms of music and film.