Bob Marley: One Love – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Bob Marley: One Love – Through the Peace Of Music and Heart

Through the bounties of pleasure, there is always pain.  This is a statement that rings within the mind, a string that wraps around our lives.  For better or worse, the moments are marked with a purpose for the journey.  Life’s tales provide a spark for stories, especially in the world of film.  No matter what truths are being told, if it feels right … it can be an enjoyable escape.  In this review, I look at the latest biopic.  A story of worth and struggle, we get to see a musical icon at work.  Even within a typical foundation, Bob Marley: One Love is a wholesome tale of music, love, and heart.

The film follows the life of Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir), as he pushes against every obstacle to lift the hearts of many through the power of music.  When it comes to biopics, there is a typical foundation that sets the stage for any tale in the genre.  From humble beginnings to specific moments (in time), there is a balancing act between portraying truth within a dramatized escape.  The filmmakers (here) build from specific moments through characterization of music and truth.  The story begins in the late 1970s, where we find Bob Marley, at a certain height in his musical career, is caught within the violence of political factions in Jamaica.  Through the drop-in method, the film melds familial and characterization through scenes of tragedy and turmoil.  Through Marley’s purview, the ominous tone shifts between current and past elements, layering meaning within the aspect of circumstance.  After specific moments hit close to home for the band and wife, Rita (Lashana Lynch), Marley travels to England (plot point).  From here, the story begins to weave between the present (of the film) and the past.  The shifting of scenes helps to layer predictable moments through a nurturing of characterization between Marley, the band, and their musical journey.  These conflicts build up a person that is trying to find a certain peace within his music.  Through this lens of fragility and humble conflict, the journey becomes an evolution of the man and his music … leading through predictable windows with genuine purpose.     

From the music to the man, the journey becomes a hodge podge of emotional worth and exaggerated events.  For every hearty moment there is a typical biopic conflict, leaving a promising scene to fall victim to over-the-top melodrama.  For all those fragments within filmmaking techniques, the dynamic between Bob and Rita helps to keep a grip on the journey.  As everything comes to head for Marley, we head into a third act that shifts back to the sincerity of the tale.  With hope coming strong, this leads into a heartfelt climax and revelation of life epilogue.  Bob Marley: One Love is one of revelations and heart.  If you are a fan of Bob Marley, biopics, or redemption tales, this is one for you.  Either way, I think you can have a good time at the theaters with this one.  

Full Score – 3.5 out of 5 (Matinee)