Earlier this week, my friend and I packed in the car and went off to the movies to see the new Bob Marley biopic titled Bob Marley: One Love. Now it definitely got a bad rap, only getting a 42% on the Tomatometer and a 6.5 on IMDB, but I thought it was good.
Most of the negative reviews focused on the format of the movie. As a critic said, “The uneven, montage-laden narrative over-relies on Marley’s genre-defining music and the cast’s strong performances to tie the story together.” This is definitely true, as the movie jumps between scenes quickly and doesn’t seem to give the full story.
For a bit of background, I love Bob Marley and his music, so that’s why I went to see the movie. At its core, the movie is a Bob Marley biopic, but it also has more of a couple last-minute art projects sewn together that were slightly tied together with flashbacks and good music.
The casting was good and the music was even better, bringing in Kingsley Ben-Adir from Barbie was a good fit for the role of Bob Marley himself and well-known actress Lashana Lynch for a fitting Rita Marley. The movie showcased both the violence and the love of their real-life relationship, which I enjoyed. The music was so good because of course it was, it was some of Marley’s greatest hits including “Exodus” and “3 Little Birds”
When the movie first started I expected the characters to have a slight Jamaican accent, but it was very hard to understand. Despite this, it was authentic, used real Jamaican slang, and it was amazing. The whole time me and my friend were joking about the words he used.
I recommend this movie for people who love Bob Marley and don’t mind seeing a bit of love, some violence, and can understand a Jamaican accent.
