Ah, the biopic. It is a sub-genre we cannot seem to get enough of. I cannot say for sure when I first noticed such an upturn for these types of movies, but they tend to be popular and successful and, overall, they also tend to be of good quality.
Of course, no matter how appealing these films seem to be, there are always detractors; the prospective moviegoers who think the story was not as faithful to the true people and events surrounding them as it should have been, or those who think these films just should not be made at all.
Be that as it may, Plan B Entertainment and Tuff Gong Pictures have produced “Bob Marley: One Love” right on time for Black History Month and Valentine’s Day. Reinaldo Marcus Green (“King Richard”) directed and Terence Winter (“Shooting Stars”), Frank E. Flowers and Zach Baylin (“Gran Turismo”) co-wrote the screenplay. The list of individuals on board as producers is a lengthy one, but includes: Ziggy, Rita and Cedella Marley; all family members to the titular character this movie is based on. Hopefully, they can look back upon this project with a positive reflection.
Leading the colorful cast is Kingsley Ben-Adir (“Barbie”) as Bob Marley. In my opinion, his scenes in which he was in his musical element were the best of his performance. At first, the pacing of the film was too fast for comfort, but once it slowed down, it was much-improved. He does not look much like Bob, but I believe he embodied his spirit fairly well.
Right behind Ben-Adir in the cast are: Lashana Lynch (“The Marvels”) as Rita Marley and James Norton (“Rogue Agent”) as Chris Blackwell. In a lot of ways, Lynch’s performance was more impactful, overall. Norton saw limited screen time, but was somewhat memorable.
The rest of the cast included— Sevana as Judy Mowatt, Tosin Cole (“House Party”) as Tyrone Downie, Aston Barrett Jr. as Aston “Family Man” Barrett and Michael Gandolfini, Nadine Marshall and Anthony Welsh, respectively.
“Bob Marley: One Love” included a fair amount of reading for the audience at the beginning and end of the movie. For a moment, I wondered why some of what we were reading could not have just been shown, instead. As I said before, the pace was brisk, at first, but It was great to see moments from a life long gone that so many us were too young to have known about come back to life, in a sense. 
I enjoyed the way some of Marley’s lesser-known music was incorporated into the story, as well. It became clear that he meant a great deal more to the people of Jamaica than most of us probably ever knew. Furthermore, how many of us, today, know anything about Rastafari? Until now, I only knew it by name and region and by a few symbols they happen to display. It was a big part of Bob’s life and that side of it was on full display in “Bob Marley: One Love,” as well.
Although it took some time for be to begin to feel any connection to the characters in the story, what I saw in those early moments was a man who appeared to be trying to make peace in his homeland in ways that many people say they support, but do not often practice. The person who finds himself in the middle can sometimes end up being the one whom both sides attack. The movie did not get super preachy or attempt to tell the audience what side to take. The persona I saw from Bob was not something that seemed to be one-sided.
As the film settled into the real bulk of the plot, it did slow down, yes, but did not feel as though it were dragging. Instead, it became more interesting and engaging. Do I feel as though I could have seen a bit more about Bob, himself, from the performance? Perhaps, but there were a number of other harassers involved sharing the screen and they needed their stories to be told more in-depth, as well, so certain sacrifices had to be made. At this point, I would like to mention that the cinematography, by Robert Elswit (“The King of Staten Island”), was quite good if you take the time to notice it; not just in the wide shots displayed for Jamaica and parts of Europe, but in the more dream-like sequences, as well.
In summation, I believe that those who know more about Bob Marley will understand certain details better than others and with that, the movie will make more sense and feel more effective. Bob felt a void in his life by not having the connection he longed for with his dismissive, mysterious father and so he sought to fill that void elsewhere. The story conveys that he was able to accomplish that by other means. I only hope he felt the peace he preached as he was taking his final breaths of life. “Bob Marley: One Love” is far from being a great biopic, but it is certainly not bad, either. Maybe if the pace had been more consistent, from start to finish, I would think more positively than I do right now.
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Screenwriters: Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, Zach Baylin and Green
Cinematography: Robert Elswit
Starring: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch and James Norton
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Release: January 23rd, 2024 (Carib 5) and February 14th, 2024 (United States)
