Bob Marley was a cultural icon with a great influence on music, and he deserves a much better biopic.
“One Love” is set during the mid-to-late 70s during a time of upheaval in Jamaica as the 1976 election approaches. With tensions high in the nation, musician Bob Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) plans a concert to promote peace in the country. However, before he can do so, an assassination attempt is made on his life.
The film then follows Marley as he and his band relocate to England to record new albums, including the hit record “Exodus.” As he continues to create music, Marley is also eager to get his message out and desires to return to Jamaica for another concert attempt.
Sometimes it’s nice when a biopic doesn’t take the standard route of detailing a musician’s entire life by showing their rise to stardom, challenges and final big concert. However, in that case, a viewer hopes that such a movie has a structure and is building toward something. “One Love” is a film that doesn’t take that standard route, but unfortunately, doesn’t provide much story progression.
While the film introduces Marley during a time of conflict in Jamaica and an attempt on his life, most of the movie just kind of meanders through a period of the singer’s life in Europe. It’s understandable that the filmmakers wanted to cover this portion of the singer’s experience, as there were some major moments.
In addition to dramatizing the creation of “Exodus,” the film covers Marley’s cancer diagnosis. Yet for the most part, “One Love” still feels aimless, with a lack of deeper insight into Marley’s philosophies.
The movie finally seems like it’s about to explore something interesting late in the runtime, with a major concert by Marley being planned to promote peace and unity in Jamaica. Then, right before the concert starts, the film ends.
This concert, or his creation of the more political album “Survival” may have provided better points of focus for a film about the figure to provide more depth. Or, the film could have followed his visits to Africa, as he was a prominent supporter of Pan-Africanism, a movement for solidarity and unity between African people.
It’s unfortunate because the film features a strong performance by Ben-Adir. He was impressive in the 2020 film “One Night in Miami” playing Malcom X, and is solid again as another real figure this time around, with a dedicated portrayal of the singer.
To the film’s credit, it does capture Marley’s talents and music making process as a whole. He was a true artist, and the movie gets this by, and an audience can certainly gain a level of respect for his commitment to the craft through what the film shows.
Overall, though, “One Love” still feels like it’s lacking in substance and doesn’t take the opportunity to create a more well-rounded profile. Because of its lack of a stronger story structure and disappointing level of depth, it’s a 2 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
An excellent review. A real shame that this one didn’t turn out to be great. I’ve always been a huge fan of Bob Marley and his timeless music. It seems it isn’t easy to make a biopic about a legendary musician. That being said, it’s good to hear that Ben-Adir was one of the bright spots of this movie. He’s such a phenomenal African-American actor. I loved his performance in “One Night in Miami”. Here’s why:
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