BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE
Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green Category: IIB 2.5/5 stars
A biopic of reggae superstar Bob Marley is an excellent idea on paper. But Bob Marley: One Love just does not cut it.
Beginning with Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) already as Jamaica’s biggest star, the film traces his rise to global stardom, as albums such as Exodus turn him into one of the most important voices of his generation, before his untimely death from cancer, aged 36, in 1981.
Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (who made the excellent tennis drama King Richard, with Will Smith), the film never manages to dig down into what made Marley such an unforgettable artist.
Rather, this is a too on-the-nose portrait, hampered by poor choices. An early example comes when Marley is injured in a shoot-out, shortly after playing “I Shot The Sheriff”. Likewise, when his wife, Rita (Lashana Lynch), is also badly hurt, and in hospital, we hear “No Woman No Cry”.
If you are a fan of Marley’s music, you will not be short-changed. All the big hits are here, although only a low-key version of
“Jamming”, heard as they record it in the studio, really stands out.
On camera, Ben-Adir gives a good account of himself as Marley, the largely laid-back, politically committed and occasionally volatile singer. Lynch is also solid as Rita, announcing “I have to be a wife and a soldier”. Both nail their Jamaican accents too.
Around them, however, the film falls apart. James Norton, usually so reliable, is miscast as Island Records head Chris Blackwell. Michael Gandolfini is not much better as an unctuous record executive.
But really the buck stops with Green, who never gets a handle on a misjudged script co-written by Zach Baylin, Frank E. Flowers and Terence Winter (previously of Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos).
Too often, the major jigsaw pieces seem missing. We are told how Marley dreams of playing concerts in Africa – and ultimately does so, shown in footage over the end credits – but surely it would have been more compelling to dramatise this?
The same goes for bringing together Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley and opposition leader Edward Seaga at his One Love concert for peace.
True, Green finds some authenticity in filming in Jamaica. But largely, the film is hamstrung by tired music bio tropes – including a cliché-riddled montage when Exodus flies off the shelves and Marley tours Europe.
Were it not for the power of the music, and the fidelity of Ben-Adir and Lynch’s performances, this film would be a total dud. James Mottram
Bob Marley: One Love opens in cinemas today