
‘Bob Marley: One Love’ – Review
Bob Marley: One Love is a film that celebrates the life and music of one of the greatest musical legends of all time, Bob Marley. Bob was gifted with the middle name of Nesta, which translates to messenger, and this movie showcases how the messenger became the message. The cinematic experience is of ultimate groove and heart, paying tribute to the icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity.
Bob Marley: One Love celebrates the life and music of an icon who inspired generations through his message of love and unity. On the big screen for the first time, discover Bob’s powerful story of overcoming adversity and the journey behind his revolutionary music. Produced in partnership with the Marley family and starring Kingsley Ben-Adir as the legendary musician and Lashana Lynch as his wife Rita.
While Bob Marley’s life may have been tragically cut short, his will for life and immense creative output were utterly awe-inspiring. Releasing 12 albums before his untimely death at the age of 36 in 1983, Bob was an artist who was all in for the spirit of his music and to experience every moment his life had to offer. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green takes a special approach to telling Bob’s story, by framing the narrative around a singular moment in Bob’s life. In the movie, audiences are taken back to 1976, a time of troubled times affecting Jamaica. After surviving an assassination and seeing nothing but strife and trauma, Bob seeks inspiration in the music and gets to work on one of his most seminal releases. That release was 1977’s Exodus, which was inspired by Otto Preminger’s film of the same name. And by framing his story around this album’s conception, audiences are delivered a much more nuanced and personal story.
Director Reinaldo Marcus Green understands the responsibility at his hands to tell Bob’s story right, and he found two incredible collaborators in Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch, to bring Bob and Rita Marley to life. Ben-Adir is one of the most exciting young actors working in the arts today, and he has a true thespian reach that centres an audience’s attention on him. And it’s with focus and commitment to Bob that guides his performance in Bob Marley: One Love. Ben-Adir truly gets to the heart of Bob’s pursuit for peace and the inspiration and hope he found through his music, his Rastafarian religion, and his love for all people. Playing next to him is Lashana Lynch as Bob’s wife, Rita, who provides for her husband but also challenges his spirit when needed, and the two of them have wonderful chemistry together.
Bob Marley: One Love is an incredibly intimate and caring portrait of Bob Marley’s life and music, and audiences will get their groove on with this picture. Thanks to the presence of Bob’s eldest son David ‘Ziggy’ Marley, and the assistance of the extended Marley family, the film comes to life with an eclectic and powerful Reggae sound that beats to the true passion and truth of the music. This music swirls together with an interior-looking portrait of Bob’s inner thoughts and monologues, and you come to see how his desire for hope and peace was built through his love for all people and the very presence of life itself.
Bob Marley: One Love is an incredibly intimate and caring portrait of Bob Marley’s life and music, and audiences will get their groove on with this picture. It’s a film with tremendous heart, and its message of peace through music is sure to inspire and uplift audiences. In the troubled times we live in, this movie is a perfect reminder to come together to find healing in love in both music and each other, and Bob Marley: One Love is ultimately an incredible tribute to the beautiful soul of Bob Marley.
Image: Paramount Pictures