Bob Marley: One Love has shown us (again) that even the most interesting people – who lead the most radical lives – can have their stories diluted into a bland biopic. 

First to walk to plank should be the team behind the script: which introduces plot points that it then totally ignores while careening into others. Overall, the film comes off flat and hollow. Director Reinaldo Marcus Green is a co-writer along with Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers and Zach Baylin. 

But to their credit, I think it was smart to focus on two years of Marley’s life rather than following a cradle-to-grave template.

‘One Love’ gives us a small glimpse into the artist’s life from 1976 through 1978. It starts off with an assassination attempt in his home, leaving Marley (played by Kingsley Ben-Adir) and three others injured. This really drives home the point that his success and influence sucked him into Jamaica’s gruesome political war. After this, he left for London, where he recorded the album Exodus. He returned to Kingston for the One Love Peace Concert in April 1978. And then…the movie ends.

Yip! Just like that.

The One Love Peace Concert would have been a phenomenal climax for the film. Or even the Africa music tour that they made a big fuss over throughout the movie. 

The movie fails to shed light on the complexities of a man going through something extraordinary. Take when he had to leave his home island for London. Did he feel betrayed by his own people? How did he find his feet in a foreign country? All we see is a seemingly well-adjusted, comfortable and established Marley, jogging in the park and recording music in the studio.

Another point that the film fails to address is Marley’s love life. No, One Love is not a romcom, but the film was clearly trying to tell us how vital his wife, Rita (played by Lashana Lynch) was. While away from her in London, some brief scenes allude to him cheating on his wife. Later, it also suggested that he fathered other children with a mistress. But even this is just mentioned on the fly and never explored. And honestly, if the team had, it would have added some much-needed complexity. What were Marley’s flaws? Did his efforts to fight for peace cause him to be an absent father? What were his views on women?

Overall, I was craving depth to the story. The Bob Marley in the film has been washed of any discourse. Instead, he is portrayed as a tortured artist with perfect ideals and a flawless character. And not a man who had to endure violence, power, fame and news of an early impending death.

The movie is not purely terrible. The music is great (obviously), and the acting is palatable. But I think what the team advertised was not delivered. 

Should you watch Bob Marley: One Love? If you do, you’re sure to have a nice time, but you will leave with an empty feeling inside. You’re better off waiting until it reaches streaming platforms.