“Why bother?” That’s what I kept thinking during “Bob Marley: One Love.” It’s a dull movie that doesn’t do anything new. It feels like it’s just trying to sell stuff instead of telling a good story. Other music movies at least try to care about their subjects, but this one falls short. It’s like they didn’t even try to understand Marley as a person.
The director, Reinaldo Marcus Green, is to blame here. His past work showed potential, but he stumbled with “Joe Bell” and “King Richard. Bob Marley’s One Love follows the same pattern of shallow themes and cardboard characters.Green gets a lot of the blame, but he’s not alone. The script, written by Green, Terence Winter, Frank E Flowers, and Zach Baylin, is a mess. It feels like listing a bunch of events one after another without any finesse or structure.
The movie covers the years 1976 to 1978. Marley, who is already a strong political figure in Jamaica, wants to hold a concert to bring peace between two rival political leaders. We meet Marley’s large family, including his wife Rita, his manager Don Taylor, and some members of his band, the Wailers. Assassins suddenly shoot Marley, Rita, and Donald, forcing them to leave Jamaica.We also learn that he enjoys jogging and playing soccer. And that’s pretty much all the movie tells us about him.
For a while, the movie makes you think it’s all about the Smile Jamaica concert. But then it rushes through the event, almost afraid to go too long without music. We don’t really get a sense of Marley’s artistic vision or the political tensions at play.Marley and his band go to London to record a new album, while Rita and the family go to live with Marley’s mother in Delaware.The movie never explains why she’s in the US, and we hardly see her in the movie.
At first, the movie seems like it’s all about the Smile Jamaica concert. But then it rushes through it, barely giving us a sense of what’s going on.Suddenly, someone shoots Marley, Rita, and Donald, forcing them to leave Jamaica.Marley and his band go to London to record, while Rita and the family go to live with Marley’s mother in Delaware. But why she’s there isn’t really explained, and we hardly see her in the movie.
In ‘One Love,‘ the storytelling feels rushed and clumsy. Quick flashbacks cover Marley’s tough childhood and romance with Rita, but lack depth. Scenes in the recording studio suggest the making of Marley’s album ‘Exodus,’ but are clichéd. The movie lacks focus on Marley’s politics or beliefs. It’s full of cheesy dialogue and uninspired scenes, with Marley’s songs getting lost. Even at the end, when Marley sings ‘Redemption Song,’ it feels forced and lacks emotion.
No actor stands out in the movie. Ben-Adir tries hard to mimic Marley’s moves, but it feels robotic. The concert scenes lack energy. Melodramatic speeches weigh down Lynch’s character. Rita’s role remains underdeveloped, primarily providing exposition or advice about their marriage, which the movie doesn’t explore enough.We don’t understand why Marley and Rita stayed together despite his affairs.
Before the movie started, Ziggy Marley, Bob Marley’s son, said it would be a true portrayal of his father. But I don’t like the idea of “authenticity” in art. It suggests there’s only one right way to show something. I prefer a sincere portrayal that explores a person’s complexity. Bob Marley’s One Love lacks the energy that made Marley’s music so great.
Fathom Events
February 15, 2024 (WIDE)
5-Day Opening Weekend Range: $5M-$9M
Current projection ranges call for a 60% decrease from the comparable weekend’s top ten aggregate of $138.7 million in 2023 and a 47% decrease from 2019’s $105.2 million during the same calendar frames.
| Film | Studio | 3-Day Weekend Forecast | Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, February 18 | 3-Day % Change from Last Wknd | 4-Day Weekend Forecast | Projected Domestic Total through Monday, February 19 |
| Bob Marley: One Love | Paramount Pictures | $19,600,000 | $32,100,000 | NEW | $22,800,000 | $35,300,000 |
| Madame Web | Sony & Columbia Pictures | $14,000,000 | $20,300,000 | NEW | $16,300,000 | $22,600,000 |
| The Chosen: Season 4 Episodes 4 – 6 | Fathom Events | $4,800,000 | $5,900,000 | NEW | $5,600,000 | $6,700,000 |
| Argylle | Universal Pictures | $3,900,000 | $35,400,000 | -38% | $4,500,000 | $36,100,000 |
| Migration | Universal Pictures & Illumination | $3,000,000 | $114,200,000 | 2% | $4,000,000 | $115,200,000 |
| Wonka | Warner Bros. Pictures | $2,700,000 | $209,100,000 | -12% | $3,400,000 | $209,800,000 |
| The Beekeeper | MGM | $2,600,000 | $59,100,000 | -24% | $3,100,000 | $59,600,000 |
| Anyone But You | Sony & Columbia Pictures | $2,200,000 | $84,000,000 | -17% | $2,500,000 | $84,300,000 |
| Lisa Frankenstein | Focus Features | $2,000,000 | $7,800,000 | -46% | $2,200,000 | $8,000,000 |
| Mean Girls (2023) | Paramount Pictures | $1,200,000 | $71,300,000 | -38% | $1,400,000 | $71,400,000 |
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