Rating: Half-Full

Genre: Biopic, Drama

Studios: Paramount Pictures/Plan B Entertainment/

Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch and James Norton

Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green

Writers: Zach Baylin, Frank E. Flowers, Reinaldo Marcus Green and Terence Winter

Based on: the true story of Bob Marley

Producers: Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Cedella Marley, Rita Marley, Ziggy Marley and Robert Teitel

Music by: Kris Blowers

Rated: PG-13 for marijuana use and smoking throughout, some violence and brief strong language

Release Date: 02/14/24

Runtime: 1h 47m

Tagline: Some voices are forever

Favorite Character: Bob Marley

Quote: “Cause everything is gonna be alright.”- Bob Marley

Fun Fact: Kingsley Ben-Adir wasn’t too comfortable about playing Bob Marley cause he couldn’t sing or play guitar, nor was he Jamacian.

The Review: Music biopics is still a recent genre to the cinema. We got Freddy Mercury, Johnny Cash, June Carter, Elton John, Elvis Presley, Whitney Houston, etc, etc, and it doesn’t stop there, this year we are in for Amy Winehouse bio and next year we are getting one about Michael Jackson, played by his nephew.

Jamaica may sound like a tropical paradise, but like many of the other islands, it has a wrong side of tracks types of towns. In fact, it was 1976 and Jamaica was filled with gangs and violence. And Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) wasn’t a fan of being in the middle of it. So he is planning on doing a ‘Smile Jamaica’ concert, hoping to bring peace to his country. Of course, that didn’t go according to plan when he and a few of other people, including his ex wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) got shot and hospitalized.

Now the rest of the movie, involves with Marley creating a Exodus album. I thought it didn’t make sense because the title is called ‘Bob Marley: ONE LOVE’ which would make the audience think it would be about Marley writing the beloved song that goes, ‘Let’s get together and be all right.’ or at least have a part of him writing ‘3 Little Birds’ but all there is to that one is the one line of the chorus Marley said to one of his 11 kids in the car. Otherwise, It just goes straight to him making an album. but One Love and 3 Little Birds are in that album, so writers Baylin, Flowers, Marcus Green and Winter are forgiven.

I believe the moviegoers will be sort of frustrated that Marcus Green wasn’t able to tell us enough about the Bob Marley. It’s actually true, the writers didn’t seem to be putting much thought on the Jamaican icon. Even the montage of Marley’s high point of his career seemed rushed. On the plus side, the Flashbacks are kinda unique, since there isn’t one flashback that doesn’t contain the orange lighting.

The two main character, Bob and Rita, really did steal the spotlight in the movie. Ben-Adir has well assemblance of Bob Marley (despite not being Jamacian) and I didn’t noticed that he lip synced. And as for Lynch’s version of Rita, it could get in next years Oscar contender for best actress. I also think it’s kinda cute to have a kid playing Ziggy in the film (although, a cameo from the real Ziggy would have been nice).

The problems I have wasn’t that the film was below average of the music biopics, i mean it is but it’s more of the fact that it has to do with the music biopic genre. With so many out, i feel the screenwriting is getting repeative and getting to be soulless. Maybe Hollywood should cool off the music biopic genre or maybe stop it all together before it gets staler.