The Stream: It takes a while to understand the accent.

The Big Screen: Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch give standout performances.

The Final Bill: An ordinary biopic with good music, good performances and a good message.

– Trip Fontaine
Director: Reinaldo Marcus Green
Writers: Reinaldo Marcus Green & Zach Baylin and Frank E. Flowers & Terence Winter
Stars: Kingsley Ben-Adir, Lashana Lynch, James Norton
Genre: Drama, Biography
Rating: Rated PG-13 for marijuana use and smoking throughout, some violence and brief strong language.
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes
Production Companies: Paramount Pictures, Plan B Entertainment, Tuff Gong Pictures
Platform: In theaters February 14, 2024
Notable Trailers: Back to Black, IF, Monkey Man, A Quiet Place: Day One

Hey, Streamers! Biopics are a dime a dozen. Every couple of months, we get another movie about a famous historical figure that tries to tell us everything about a person in 2 hours. This week, Bob Marley: One Love attempts to distill the essence of this musical giant in less time by focusing on a specific era in Marley’s life. In 1976 amidst the political unrest in Jamaica, Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) plans a concert for peace in order to bring unity amongst the people of Jamaica. While preparing for the concert, Marley, his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch), and his bandmates get shot by assailants, which causes Marley to suffer from PTSD and flee to England. Marley continues to work through the trauma of the assassination attempt by making new music and touring through Europe until Jamaica calls him home. Jammin’ hijinks ensue.

Bob Marley: One Love is a decent biopic. Focusing on a specific time in Marley’s life allows the movie to highlight both his music and his message. Although it’s not a deep dive into Bob Marley, the surface that the movie skims is entertaining enough. First, there is a lot of music jammed into this movie. Whether you are Bob Marley fan or just a casual, you should recognize a lot of the tunes. Also, Kingsley Ben-Adir does a good job capturing the essence of Bob Marley. He tackles the Jamaican patois and Marley’s movement and stage presence. It is an emotional performance that Ben-Adir really commits to and even disappears into eventually. It does take a while to get used to the Jamaican accent. Some subtitles would have helped in the first 20 minutes. As Marley’s wife, Rita, Lashana Lynch adds gravitas to each scene she’s in. She has a great chemistry with Ben-Adir. She’s very powerful and empathetic throughout. Ben-Adir and Lynch anchor this movie and help justify its existence.

Ultimately, Bob Marley: One Love is a decent biopic that has some good moments. It’s biggest selling points are the performances by Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch as well as the great music played throughout. Subtitles could have been useful. I can’t say that this movie is necessarily essential viewing, but its narrow focus on a tumultuous time in Marley’s life is entertaining enough. Grab a bowl of popcorn for a matinee show.