Bob Marley: One Love — Movie Review

Bob Marley: One Love is a biopic based on the titular musician and one of the most legendary artists of all time. The story of Marley’s life seems ripe for a cinematic adaptation; however, what One Love brings to the table falls short of its promise.

From the word go, One Love is a paint-by-numbers, superficial look at Marley’s journey. Here, we avoid deep into the artist’s psyche, instead settling for a superfluous take on what made Marley truly unique. Indeed, after watching One Love, one may feel compelled to immediately browse to Bob Marley’s Wikipedia page or read up on the political violence in Jamaica in the 1970s. One Love only offers a surface-level glimpse into those topics.

One thing the film does have going for it is authenticity. The way One Love is shot and acted feels honest. This honest feel is due in part to the cinematography, which sells the time period in which it was meant to take place. Moreso, however, it’s due to the genuine performances from lead actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Lashana Lynch, who portrays Marley’s wife Rita. When the film is working, it’s because of them.

It just doesn’t work very often. One Love is hard to follow and truly feels like it’s just skimming the surface of real-life events. Instead of digging into the “whats” and “whys” of Bob Marley’s life, we get a vague interpretation of the “whens” and “wheres” with little else to sink our teeth into. It’s disappointing to say Marley’s story deserved more, as did the actors who did their best but could not elevate One Love above middling biopic fare.

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