Bob Marley: One Love
By Jeffrey M. Anderson,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Thin but lively biopic on reggae icon; lots of cannabis use.
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Bob Marley: One Love
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Based on 7 parent reviews
What's the Story?
In BOB MARLEY: ONE LOVE, it's 1976, and Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir), already a well-known musician, is preparing for a concert for peace in Kingston, Jamaica, when intruders break into his home and try to shoot him. After the concert, he flees the country, winding up in London. There, he starts work on a new album, one he hopes will capture a fresher, more ambitious sound. That work, Exodus, becomes a huge success and leads to a tour. In 1978, Marley decides that it's time to return to Jamaica and stage another peace concert, this time with a gesture that will be sure to get people thinking.
Is It Any Good?
It's thin, and, like most biopics, fails to flesh out its supporting characters, but this drama also has an appealing low-key vibe that, along with the fine lead performance, makes it enjoyable. Most biopics—and indeed, almost all popular music biopics—struggle for importance while stumbling over the same old clichés. By contrast, Bob Marley: One Love never seems to have that much at stake. There's no succumbing to the pitfalls of fame or drugs or groupies. Marley is comfortable in his skin and never tries to be something he's not. When someone calls him a "superstar," he responds, "I ain't a superstar ... I'm a ra-sta!"
It's fun to see bits of history come alive—The Clash (who would become hugely inspired by reggae music) playing in a club, references to Marcus Garvey and "Two Sevens Clash," etc.—and even more fun to watch Marley and the Wailers making music. Scenes of conjuring up the songs "Exodus" and "Jamming" are electric, and the moment in which Marley composes "Redemption Song," almost as if out of the blue, is quite moving. His wife, Rita (Lashana Lynch), asks, "When you write that?" And he responds, "All my life." As Marley, Ben-Adir has an easy command of the screen, and he gets the moves and the voice just right; this Marley is a performer who does his own thing—"music and message is the same," he asserts—with little concern for fame or glory. Bob Marley: One Love manages to capture, if not in detail, at least the essence of the man and the legend.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Bob Marley: One Love's moments of violence. How does the movie use violence to help underline its themes?
How is drug use portrayed? How does cannabis's role in Rastafarian culture play into the depiction?
How is this movie different from or similar to other music biopics you've seen? How accurate do you think it is to what actually happened? Why might filmmakers choose to adjust the facts in stories based on real people and events?
Do you think music can really bring peace to the world? Why, or why not?
What does Bob mean when he tells the gunman, "Only you can redeem yourself"?
Movie Details
- In theaters: February 14, 2024
- On DVD or streaming: March 19, 2024
- Cast: Kingsley Ben-Adir , Lashana Lynch , James Norton
- Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
- Inclusion Information: Black directors, Latino directors, Black actors
- Studio: Paramount Pictures
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Music and Sing-Along
- Run time: 104 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: marijuana use and smoking throughout, some violence and brief strong language
- Last updated: June 5, 2024
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