User reviews

It's fine, just nothing all that memorable.

I had a pleasant enough time viewing 'Bob Marley: One Love', though it does kinda seem a bit hollow post-watch - as in I don't feel like I've learned much nor actually seen that much, the movie has like three noteworthy events but then that's kinda it. The music from those involved also didn't feel amazingly utilised, I guess they didn't want it to be too jukebox-y.

Kingsley Ben-Adir does well in the lead role as Bob Marley himself. I'm not a Marley superfan or anything close, I basically only know his biggest hits, but the resemblance of Ben-Adir seemed off to me - a thought that was only solidified when the real Marley appears via archive footage at the end. Perhaps that's just me, though.

Lashana Lynch gives a good performance, spearheading the rest of the cast who are alright; interesting to see James Norton, Michael Gandolfini too... even if I didn't realise it was Gandolfini until the credits. Overall, it does feel like the film only scratches the surface of Marley's life. I wanted more from it, but to be fair it is still a decent flick in my opinion.

We went to see this movie on a whim and although I am not someone who listens to reggae music, I would like to learn more about it and see what Bob Marley was in our world. The story was not the easiest to follow because it it jumped around in time, which isn't usually difficult to follow, but it was in this movie. There were aspects missing that would have brought this movie together much better.

I found I enjoyed the music very much and I did get a sense of why Bob Marley was an important figurehead in the attempt of taking away hate at teaching love to all.

I thought the actress who played Bob's wife was fantastic. I felt a lot of pain and strife that she must have experienced as the celebrity status of her husband soared. To me, she was the best part of the movie.

This was an interesting movie with fine performances, but it felt a bit rushed and scattered in it's writing.

We do have a lengthy cast list here but One Love is anchored/carried by 2 performances. Kingsley Ben-Adir has the screen presence to carry this project, he nails the accent and even has a lot of physicality to his work in One Love. The emotion he brings to the table helps you understand why Bob Marley was idolized and beloved by so many. I wish the movie had explored more periods of Bob Marley's life just so we could have seen what Kingsley would have brought to them. I expected Ben-Adir to be good but the more surprising but equally impressive acting came from Lashana Lynch as Bob Marley's wife Rita. I've only seen Lashana previously in tentpole-esque studio fare (No Time to Die and Captain Marvel) but she transforms in One Love and I hope both her and Kingsley get some awards consideration. To the movie's credit, both Bob and Rita are presented as complex and multi-layered characters and represent the clay that Kingsley and Lashana moulded beautifully with their work in One Love.

It's a more minor note but one of the surprise boxes One Love ticks is that I think it's filmed/shot well. The camera work highlights some of Jamaica's natural beauty but also shows some of the less camera friendly aspects of it as well. The CGI isn't top-notch but it wasn't bad enough to draw attention to. I have a friend who I saw the movie with who visited Jamaica and she was calling out parts of the country she toured in her vacation. I can't call One Love a visual tour de force but there were shots littered throughout the movie that caught my attention and I think it's worth crediting the team for their work in this film.

So far, you may be confused on why my rating for Bob Marley: One Love is so low and it does have a lot of notable pluses. But the unfortunate truth of the matter is that despite the acting and cinematography being striking and stimulating, the odd structure the movie insists on using to reveal its narrative really hampers the proceedings. My best friend compared the movie's structure as counting to 10 as if it were 1,4,7,2,5. The film is disorganized and almost confusing unless you're intimately familiar with Marley's life (I'm passively familiar at best, I did like some of his music and I knew he passed away relatively young). Subplots are created and dropped (e.g. Marley's greedy business manager, the drama surrounding Marley's father, the political unrest in Jamaica in the mid 1970s) frequently and it helps stop the movie from gelling together appropriately. It also dampens the impact of Marley's passing because the fact he's terminally ill is introduced so late that you can't get emotionally invested. There's a pretty concrete formula about how to operate in this genre and while I admire the screenwriter's attempt to try something different, it does the movie a disservice instead.

Everything to create a compelling and informative film about Bob Marley's life was here. We have some terrific performances, some interesting cinematography and Marley and his story are inspiring and his message still prescient even today. But the result of One Love is a puzzling and mildly disappointing misfire, I understand that the studio and the creative team wanting to circumvent the formula but you still have to justify it by showing us a new angle or creating something memorable. Bob Marley: One Love as a product is fine but I think its subject deserved a better movie. I'd really rate One Love somewhere between a 6-7 but I rounding down because of what they squandered in this production. One Love is still worth a watch but as we frequently get some really fantastic movies in this genre, I'd recommend it only to Marley fans as there's better films about other musicians available for your viewing pleasure.

When watching the trailers I was scared they were gonna focus more on the music than on the man, and that's exactly what happens.

I feel like they remained só surface level on Bob Marley, the man, and focused more on what his music brought. And I think that's what happens when family is heavily involved in the movie, because they will want to play safe, and that's what this movie does, with the character of Bob Marley.

The screenplay also didn't feel like a final draft, some of the dialogue felt repetitive, and some of it, quite cringy. And for negatives that's what I have.

Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch absolutely kill it, they are fantastic and an early Oscar contender performances. Another thing I was scared was the accents, because at times they can go to over the top and make it feel like a parody, but they weren't they nailed it.

The music was also emaculate, if you're a fan of his music, you'll love what they did, and how they paid their respects.

I feel like for the right audience this definitely will be amazing. It's a cool movie, fun time. I just wish we could learn more about Bob Marley, not just his music.

The acting was good, the scenes regarding the music and the artistic creativity involved in the endeavor were good, and every scene individually was fine.

What this film lacks is actually direction. It felt disjointed and choppy from the very beginning. It was hard to keep straight what was going on and why. The motivations of events were hard to follow, and conflicts appeared and disappeared without a trace. The actual flow and arc were kind of non-existent in this movie.

I felt the scenes between on-screen Bob and Rita and Bob with the band were the absolute strength. There was chemistry there that felt natural and that felt like I was really getting a glimpse into Bob Marley at this period of his life.

It's so close to being a really good movie, but the lack of continuity in the storytelling robs it of reaching the potential.

I was and am a big Marley fan. I was alive when he was and couldn't wait fore his next record. He was not merely a revolutionary music maker, he was a revolutionary person. He deserved a bio pic that reflected his enormous talent, contribution, and sacrifice. This is not that film.

It's not completely worthless. The acting by Marley and his wife is exceptional, and her work deserves Academy Award notice. The photography is good and the music, of course, is wonderful, though the visuals accompanying the music leaves a lot to be desired.

The main problem is the direction. I felt like I was watching a film about Marley but was otherwise not engaged. That's a big negative in a film about Bob Marley. He deserves more.

A Marley fan, I went in worried having read the critics reviews ultimately saying it's "ok" with some great performances but a missed opportunity as it's bubblegum Marley.

I disagree, this was a compelling and entertaining movie, sure there is some rich material that was left untapped, but it would take a Netflix series to unwrap his life - one day maybe!

Endorsed by and produced by the Marley family, it's clear that they wanted it to be about hope, love, unity and the making of his definitive album; Exodus. But they also did touch on some of the tougher material - but maybe didn't dwell on it as much as the critics would like. We don't witness his ill health and death, but do we really need to? I don't think so.

Lots of references and small touches that will resonate with those who know his story well, that may be missed by others. If you know, you know and that adds an extra layer, but none of that knowledge is needed to enjoy the movie.

The soundtrack is of course fantastic and acts as a narrative through the movie, there is emotion, joy and a clear mission.

A very well executed, and acted, biopic that although pulls a few punches, doesn't fail to entertain and give the viewer a window into Marley. Yes it leaves you wanting more...but thats fine by me. Come on Netflix :)

Paint by numbers musical biopic that hits all the cliches; crooked management, a "complex" love story, father-son drama and some genuinely decent concert sequences.

The many flashbacks and heavy Jamaican patois don't do the narrative any favors (subtitles needed for this one!) Cast performances are mostly solid but unspectacular. Lashana Lynch's Rita Marley is a highlight. Kingsley Ben-Adir's Bob is likeable but lightweight - at the end we don't get any sense of what really drove Bob as a musician or a strongly religious man. None of the supporting characters are sketched out much at all, so the film depends on these two performances to carry it, with mixed results.

Overall a superficial examining of an important influential artist that could've been so much more.

Bob Marley is one of the most recognizable names in the world, whose music, cultural influence and message of unity transcends borders. And while Reinaldo Marcus Green's "Bob Marley: One Love" tries to portray his influence and legacy on screen, the movie's low-risk conventional approach makes it a rather hollow experience.

The movie is as vanilla as it gets, with nothing really standing out. And that extends to lead actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, who while I think is a great actor, just isn't able to make the character work. He seems to be trying his best to replicate the legend, but is quite not all there with his portrayal that we're always aware we're watching an actor play Bob Marley and not Bob Marley himself.

While "Bob Marley: One Love" is not as boring as some of the other musical biopics I've seen (like 'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' or 'The United States vs Billie Holiday'), it surely doesn't do enough to be worth recommending. It's yet another biopic that plays like a collection of vignettes than an actual narrative story, with some 'greatest hits' backing tracks. It certainly doesn't do Marley's legacy any justice.

The music and the performances of the main characters are very good. Whilst it was entertaining and thought provoking I would have liked a bit more of an introduction to the members of the wailers. They were very much in the background and I we didn't really get to see Bob's relationship with the band members.

The interactions with his wife, manager and record producer felt quite awkward (maybe they were?) Whilst it was quite formulaic (musical biopics like Ray and Respect have a very similar feel) I thoroughly enjoyed the film and I was surprised at how quickly we arrived at the final scenes,

Bob Marley: One Love is a thoroughly generic biopic told in an entertaining fashion. It starts off with an interesting idea focusing on a specific part of Marley's life and honing in on the unifying power of his music before quickly becoming the kind of biopic that's been done so many times before, frustratingly saving the most powerful moment for the archive footage at the end.

Even when this genre is at its blandest the central performance is rarely the problem and that's absolutely the case here. Kingsley Ben-Adir gives a wonderful performance that never strays into parody and is the only time the film comes close to making Marley feel human. It's also great that Lashana Lynch is given so much, supporting whilst still getting some spotlight.

Reinaldo Marcus Green's direction ends the film a little too early and uses a flashback heavy structure to hit all the required beats but it's all done in a technically competent and very serious way which helps. The soundtrack is obviously a major highlight however the score by Kris Bowers is an unexpected highlight thanks to its very dramatic nature.

My wife and I attended a screening of Bob Marley: One Love (2024) last night. The narrative traces Bob Marley's journey to fame, navigating the violence in his home and channeling it as a creative force for success. We glimpse flashbacks of his family life, marked by maternal abandonment and the pivotal role of his wife in propelling him from adversity to stardom.

Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green (King Richard), the film features Kingsley Ben-Adir (Peaky Blinders), Lashana Lynch (No Time to Die), Aston Barrett Jr., James Norton (Little Women), and Tosin Cole (House Party).

The movie presents an uneven experience, with aspects that captivated me and others that fell short. The exploration of Marley's upbringing and its surrounding circumstances was excellent and enlightening, and the love story was compelling. The portrayal of Marley's global and domestic influence was also commendable. However, Kingsley Ben-Adir's attempt to embody Marley's unique, awkward, and unpredictable persona felt somewhat inauthentic. His meticulously perfect wig and attire contrasted with Marley's natural, islander vibe as seen in videos during the closing credits.

In conclusion, Bob Marley: One Love offers worthwhile elements, but it falls short of elite status, akin to films like Ray or Walk the Line. I'd give it a 6/10 and suggest watching it at least once.

Bob Marley was full of soul, he sent his message to people through music and his good will.

Heart of a lion and starred fear in the eyes and always tried to do good for his people and the world If anyone deserves a movie making about them then Bob does.

I wasn't expecting much from this movie but I found it to be a really emotional story that captured the man and his struggles, journey and striving for a better world .

The only criticism I have is that the Jamaican accent was not tamed down and I struggled to understand in parts.

Some good songs played throughout and was glad to see simmer down included .

Must see for any Marley fan.

This seemed to take a lot of highlights from his life and didn't allow you to connect with the character. There was No hard angle or tension whether it was with his band, music, political stance or racial struggle. Each scene was just fleeting leaving story disjointed. Great music of course but unfortunately it didn't hit the mark.

This was also a missed opportunity to feature Jamaican culture and history. Kudos to actor for being able to sing and staying true to the bob marley sound. But other than that this film was still half baked. There was a lack of focus on the direction and what to concentrate on. The man, or highlights. I am a huge Marley fan and this could have been epic but unfortunately the writing made it underwhelming.

The actors are great, they really are and I hope they get a chance in other big movies with other directors but this movie does not tell a story. It's a random puzzle of moments collected to explainbthe life of a legend in the most cliche way. Jamaica is a fascinating place and I was hoping we get a glance of how Bon become the Marley we know but all of a sudden it's a movie about someone going to the UK recording their music.

The movie is not well put, it does not deliver the message we expected anf the only time the audience interacted with the movie is when someone said they don't understand Bob's accent.

Acting is great, story is dull with no soul.

Let me start by saying that as a Rastafarian who grew up with the Bob Marley story as part of my culture I was almost certain I would hate this movie but I did not. When I saw who was playing Bob i thought he looked nothing like him. The actor looked too Hollywood and I still feel the same. He played Ken in the Barbie movie for crying out loud. However I thought he did well enough, even though parts of it seemed too much like mimicking. I think he should have marinated longer in that juice for it to feel more natural. The lip syncing was on point and when they did not use Bob Marley's actual voice i was not horrified. Even the Jamaican patois and accent was good enough.

As some reviewers have pointed, some of the movie felt rushed. There was enough material to make a longer movie. As I expected, they layed thick the idea of one love which, contrary to what is advertised in the west to make Bob Marley a softer and more commercial product was not central to his and Rastafarian ideology. Bob Marley was a black freedom fighter, a rebel and a revolutionary who used a guitar instead of a gun. That was the only difference. If the movie had been longer they could have highlighted his relationship with Miss World Cindy Breakespear which produced Damian Marley. The independence celebration in Zimbabwe was another highlight of Marley's life that was eventful. There were a few inaccuracies I think were intentional to make the movie shorter. Like the beating of his crooked manager that did not take place in 1978 Europe but in 1980 Gabon, Africa. All that said, for someone not too familiar with Bob Marley they won't really learn much about who the man was. For those more familiar, this movie is a nice entertaining accessory full of great music.

I went into the theater excited about a movie of Bob Marley... I left utterly disappointed. This movie is nothing more than jam sessions in the studio and Bob Marley touring Europe with his band. The movie does a poor job of truly telling his story. It completely misses the point of what a Bob Marley movie should be. Some situations that happen in the movie get almost no depth other than in that moment. Other parts of the movie just don't make sense or seem out of place. The accents are extremely difficult to understand. I only understood about 25-30% of what was spoken. What a shame. This could have been a great movie of the story of Bob Marley had it been produced and directed by the right individuals. Instead we get this...viewer beware.

Bob Marley died at the tender age of just 36 from a rare skin cancer, but his legacy lives on some 43 years later not only in his music, also this new biopic, "Bob Marley: One Love" in cinemas now.

Not only was "One Love" one of Marley's biggest hit singles it also helps sum up his Rastafarian philosophy on life, love and peace.

These are subjects that form the basis of this movie that starts from his early years through to his death in 1981.

A defining figure in modern Ethiopian history, The Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, and key figure of the religious movement, Rastafari, is given more than a passing nod because of his deep influence on Marley's belief system, which is reflected in his lyrics and music.

This film is loaded with flashbacks that give us an insight into his past experiences with his mother and faceless white father, his early days in Trench Town, Jamaica, to his first recording session.

"One Love" is the story of how Marley overcame his adversity, including poverty to become a Superstar in the mid to late 70's.

It tracks his musical journey from obscurity to the world stage and the revolutionary power of his music to unite his people during one of most tumultuous & violent political times in Jamaican history.

Everything is on the table including the assassination attempt on his life in his own home, his wife & family (most of whom share some credits for this project), his infidelities, plus his band and musical process.

Kingsley Ben-Adir ("Barbie") as "Bob" proves he is Kenough to play the lead role as is Lashana Lynch as "Rita Marley".

Lynch only broke her Jamaican accent once over nearly two hours to reveal her true British voice.

In fact, if I have one serious complaint it's that the Jamaican accents are so damn good it's often difficult to understand what they are saying.

Don't get me wrong I don't like cricket, I love it, however when Jamaican commentators talk during the game I struggle to hear a word.

The same goes for this film and its such a beautiful, rhythmical accent that I could listen all day man, I & I.

Thank goodness for the music when the dialogue leaves something to be desired.

Reggae is the people's music after all, coming together to celebrate one another.

Kingsley was so committed to his character he learned all the songs he has to perform live in recording studios and in concert, even though they are dubbed by the real Marley its adds to the authenticity.

The late Wailer Neville Garrick even offered his own personal experiences of songwriting with Marley as a consultant on this movie.

"Bob's" son "Ziggy" Marley produced this movie as a tribute to his dad to share their special relationship, while director Reinaldo Marcus Green ("Kings Richard") is faithful to this legendary singers life story.

The movie was mostly shot in Kingston, Jamaica and it is visually stunning on the beaches and on Strawberry Hill.

James Norton plays Island record's boss "Chris Blackwell" who was crucial to the success of Marley's career.

If you share Time Magazine's appreciation of "Exodus" as one of the greatest albums of the 20th Century then you are going to love watching it being created in London.

Bob Marley fans will be moved by "One Love"...a film that avoided the trap of being a Jukebox musical by sensitively sharing more of his lesser known hits and their organic creation until the closing credits.

It was a beautiful story just waiting to be told by the right people and in the most part it was with some clever editing and screenplay.

The attention to period detail is impressive even down to the Orange amplifiers and Neumann U87 microphones in the London recording studio and cover artwork for "Exodus".

Let's get together and feel alright by watching "Bob Marley: One Love" on the big screen.

I wish I knew superstar Bob Marley better after seeing the biopic, Bob Marley One Love, but I don't. For such a music legend, the greatest exponent of reggae and a tireless promoter of peace for Jamaica, director Reinaldo Marcus Green and his host of writers patch together impressive music and a few poignant scenes from 1976 to 78 into a whole that doesn't give the sense of his greatness before he died of cancer in 1981 at age 36.

As Marley, Kingsley Ben-Adir has the star power of the original Marley with a casual charisma that convinces us he could bring peace to the two warring factions in post-colonial Jamaica. Because Marley eventually leaves home to tour the world and land in London, we are limited in learning about the close connection to his homeland from his birth on.

A reason to see this unimpressive bio is to watch the inception of the album, Exodus, which Time Magazine called the best of the 20th century. As successful as that was, peace was not to be so, an impossible task even the great Marley couldn't pull off.

Lacking throughout is an intimate look into his psyche, such as we did get in the recent Oppenheimer. Both bios dwell on a few key years (a blessing rather than trying to depict the whole life), but One Love never goes deeply except in the successful scenes with his wife, Rita (Lashana Lynch), which have the kind of soul revealing power lacking in most other scenes which too often scan the surface.

The lesser dramatic revelations such as his passion for soccer, Africa, and the genesis of the simple Exodus album cover are well represented. Less so is insight into reggae while he lived in his homeland. The most we get serves just to verify that he was a charismatic cross between Mick Jagger and Freddie Mercury. The real Bob Marley is yet to be seen.

Giving this an 7.5/10 rating

Watched, Madam Web, on the same day, before I watched this, and this is how films should be, good and entertaining, and most importantly, well directed, unlike Madam Web was.

Kingsley Ben-Adir is really brilliant as Bob Marley and Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley, devours her role, James Norton is the backbone somewhat and the link thought the picture, nice work from him. The other link is 'Anthony Welsh, is doing a fine job, along with Gawaine 'J-Summa' Campbell, great work too. All the actors are very, very good.

Of course it's the music drives the film, and it's very lovely, as is the general message, love and peace, this is the major force in the perfect run time and flow and great direction by Reinaldo Marcus Green, he show how it should be done. Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers and Zach Baylin have done a good job with not covering Bob's whole life, but doing a certain point of it, it's spot on in the route they took with this biopic.

A good Valentine Day film, even though it's tragic, I think it's the right film, on the right day, worth the trip, as I did not know much about Bob Marley myself, and it's good that his family is very much involved in this, so it's not sweet and smells of Roses, it has the light and the dark, and it's enjoyable.

One Love feels like a totally cynical corporate product and one that contains all of the worst aspects of the recent musical biopic trends in one film. I don't think it does anything to get to the heart of why Bob Marley was as revered as he was and it's completely lacking any of the impact or energy it needed to tell his story in an effective way. Like most of these movies, I know very little about the real life figures being portrayed and if I only had this movie to go off I would be completely dumbfounded as to why any of these events were worth being depicted on film.

The whole thing just feels totally flat and without life. Kingsley Ben-Adir is fine but usually the one thing I can usually count on with these movies is outstanding acting but the script here didn't give him much to work with and it comes across in his performance. Rather than presenting an actual depict of this person, the whole thing just feels like the expected snapshots of Marley's career and life and it's so scattershot in it's execution that nothing the character does has much of any impact. Even something as simple as seeing him perform for the first time just comes and goes without any sort of impact and the story itself didn't serve the legend that Marley was any better.

I appreciate the fact that the film didn't go with the cradle-to-grave structure but it still took a very expected and uninspired approach. After some very badly inserted text, it seems to be established that the whole thing is going to revolve around the build up to one concert but that's mostly done away with within the first 30 minutes. After that the whole thing just chugs along at a totally meandering pace full of bland montages and eye rolling family drama that just makes the entire film feel unfocused. That's in large part due to bad editing and also fairly uninspired work behind the camera.

The whole technical approach feels totally defunct and it never really felt like Renaldo Marcus Green or the writers decided what they wanted to say about this man's life and legacy. The film drops us into the middle of Marley's career without any kind of indication as to why he became such a phenomenon or how he came to be the way he is and because of that I was never that invested in the journey the film tries and fails to take him on. There's also a lot of political and social elements at play in this script that are supposed to motivate Marley and none of it feels tangible. The few moments of social upheaval we see are few and far between and even then they're executed it a totally uninteresting way that totally rob them of effectiveness. The film also ends before Marley can actually accomplish much of anything so the whole narrative just ends up feeling like a prolonged first act.

I always thought that something like Bohemian Rhapsody would be the worst thing to come out of the musical biopic phenomenon but I actually think I'd rate that movie over One Love. Because for all that films faults, and it has too many to list here, I at least thought it did some justice to the legendary status of Queen as well as having some genuinely riveting concert sequences. This film not only totally fails at presenting an interesting portrait of its title character but it's also totally un-engaging as a viewing experience. I'm not going to claim to be an expert on Marley or his music but even as a passive admirer I am still totally aware at how much this film doesn't do his legacy justice. As of now, I think it's time these musical biopics stopped until we get approaches that feel fitting for the lives and long lasting impact of these musicians.

I'm curious how many of reviewers are not cognizant of Black diaspora and Jamaican culture. There were lots of historical references and thoughtful explanations of various elements of the film especially if you have a basic understanding of patois.

The film does not do a full lifespan storyline. It focuses on 3 or so tumultuous years, his creative process, his lovely wife Rita and his religion, Rastafarianism.

I love the music of Bob Marley and the Wailers and wish I would've been around to see him perform live. The main actor was selected by the Marley family. They were very hands on in the production of this story. I think they did an amazing job considering he passed over 40 years ago with little archival footage to get the hang of all of Bob's unique mannerism.

I recommend the film for music, culture and reggae lovers alike.