Bob Marley is a figure in music who has transcended his genre to become a global icon, a face and voice known by many, even if reggae isn’t quite their jam. A biopic of the artist, who sadly died at just 36 in 1981 was always inevitable – and it has come in the form of a family-approved (and produced) drama that casts Kingsley Ben-Adir in the role of the cultural icon.
Having such a global appeal, and being so well-known, makes the task of a biopic an undeniable one – particularly for star Ben-Adir. When it is a story and a body of work so known and so beloved, just where do you angle the story? Reinaldo Marcus Green – who directed Will Smith to Oscar glory in tennis biopic King Richard – chooses to use a key timeframe in Marley’s short but impactful time on this earth, and utilises it as a jumping point to cover the bases of biopic convection.
Starting things off in 1976, the film begins with Marley putting together a concert to help temper the violent political unrest in his home of Jamaica in any way he can. When Marley himself becomes the target for assassination, he retreats to the relative safety of his home in London, as he tries to find a way to send his message of peace and positivity out into the world, leading to the creation of his seminal work on the album Exodus with his band The Wailers.
Through a two-year timespan, the film often jumps back to moments of Marley’s childhood (to paraphrase Walk Hard, Bob always has to think about his life story before going on stage) to falling in love with his wife and backup singer Rita (Lashana Lynch), and dealing with recurring dreams surrounding his parenthood, while also coming to terms with his mortality when faced with the news of his cancer in the final act.
It spreads itself pretty thin across its admittedly brief 106-minute run time, with the sense being that it wants to cover as much iconography and details as possible in a consumer-friendly package. Its opening stretch focused on Jamaica’s unrest is intriguing. It sets the stage for something more focused and probing, examining Marley’s relationship with his home, and the inner conflict of having to be a global figure, forced to leave the home he loves in its darkest moment, an element which ultimately more bookends the film that forms much of its dramatic thrust.
This focus is abandoned more for the conventional notes of a musician’s biopic – family tension, album creation and facing tragic news that will ultimately prove to be their fate. The scenes of the band figuring out the beats and tracks of Exodus are engaging and ring with a good sense of camaraderie and musical exploration, and Lynch and Ben-Adir are charming together as Bob and Rita. Yet, there’s the sense that no risks are being taken and that the safest and clearest path possible is being taken, leaving you with a depiction of Bob Marley that is undeniably made with love, but one that never scratches beneath the surface.
Thanks to Ben-Adir though, it has the charisma to make Bob an easy figure to fall in love with and root for. It is a daunting performance delivered with confidence and a palpable sense of respect and care that strengthens the film even as the narrative mechanically moves from beat to beat.
One Love is not about to join the pantheons of great biopics. It is ultimately too adverse to probing too deep or taking any narrative or stylistic swings, despite its early promise set against an intriguing backdrop, proving to be a forgettable experience. It is also somewhat anti-climatic, building to a logical endpoint that promises to deliver a joyous catharsis and celebration of the music, but rather baffling stops short of actually delivering. All the pieces are here, but they stop short of clicking into place, despite its sincere approach and exuberant lead performance.
Bob Marley: One Love
Summary
A depiction of Bob Marley that is undeniably made with love, but one that never scratches beneath the surface.
