Bob Marley: One Love

{{Short description|2024 film by Reinaldo Marcus Green}}

{{About|the 2024 biographical film|the song|One Love/People Get Ready|the compilation album|One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers{{!}}One Love: The Very Best of Bob Marley & The Wailers}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2024}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}

{{Infobox film

| image = Bob Marley One Love.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| director = Reinaldo Marcus Green

| screenplay = {{Plainlist|

}}

| story = {{Plainlist|

  • Terence Winter
  • Frank E. Flowers

}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

}}

| starring = {{Plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Robert Elswit

| editing = {{Plainlist|

}}

| music = Kris Bowers

| studio = {{Plainlist|

}}

| distributor = Paramount Pictures

| released = {{film date|2024|1|23|Carib 5|2024|2|14|United States}}

| runtime = 107 minutes{{Cite web |date=January 29, 2024|title=Bob Marley One Love (12A) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/bob-marley-one-love-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde0njux|access-date=January 29, 2024 |website=BBFC}}

| country = United States

| language = {{plainlist|

  • English
  • Jamaican Patois{{cite web|title='We will not accept fake Patois': Jamaican linguist on dialogue in Bob Marley biopic|author=Bakare, Lanre|work=The Guardian|date=February 16, 2024|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2024/feb/16/we-will-not-accept-fake-patois-jamaican-linguist-on-dialogue-in-bob-marley-biopic#:~:text=For%20Farquharson%2C%20who%20worked%20as,anything%20other%20than%20Jamaican%20Patois.}}{{cite web|url=https://jamaicans.com/jamaicans-respond-on-how-was-kingsley-ben-adirs-jamaican-patois-in-the-bob-marley-movie/|website=Jamaicans.com|date=February 2024|title=Jamaicans Respond on How Was Kingsley Ben-Adir's Jamaican Patois in the Bob Marley Movie?|author=Staff Writer}}

}}

| budget = $70 million

| gross = $180.8 million{{Cite web |title=Bob Marley: One Love — Financial Information |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Bob-Marley-One-Love-(2024)#tab=box-office |access-date=April 23, 2024 |website=The Numbers}}{{Cite web |title=Bob Marley: One Love |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1496810241/?ref_=bo_hm_rd |access-date=April 23, 2024 |website=Box Office Mojo}}

}}

Bob Marley: One Love is a 2024 American biographical drama musical film based on the life of reggae singer and songwriter Bob Marley, played by Kingsley Ben-Adir, from his rise to fame in the mid-1970s to his death in 1981. The film is directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, who co-wrote the screenplay with Terence Winter, Frank E. Flowers, and Zach Baylin. It also stars Lashana Lynch as Rita Marley and James Norton as Chris Blackwell.

Bob Marley: One Love premiered at the Carib 5 in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 23, 2024, and was released in the United States by Paramount Pictures on February 14, 2024. It received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $180 million worldwide.

Plot

In 1976, amidst armed political conflict that is affecting daily life in Jamaica, Bob Marley announces that he will perform at Smile Jamaica Concert, promoting peace amongst the warring factions. While preparing for the concert, Marley; his wife, Rita; and several other members of Bob Marley and the Wailers, his band, are shot by assailants, Bob gets shot on the arm, Rita on the head, Don is severely injured on the chest and legs. Rita and Marley are hospitalized but survive and recover from their injuries in time for the concert. After performing, Marley, saddened that his own countrymen would try to kill him and his wife, shows the crowd his bullet wounds and walks off stage. He tells Rita to take their children to Delaware, United States, and stay with his mom, as he and the rest of his band venture to London to record their next two albums.

After struggling to come up with a new album concept, Marley asks Rita to rejoin him and the band in England. Taking inspiration from the soundtrack of the film Exodus and their own situation, he and the band begin recording what would become their album of the same name, in conjunction with a second album that is released in 1978. The album becomes a hit and helps further popularize reggae music and the Rastafari movement around the world. When the recording company schedules a tour in Europe, Marley also aims for stops throughout Africa to inspire the people there. That leads to friction with Rita, as she and Marley argue about his responsibilities and about their infidelities, in addition to having given up on promoting peace back in Jamaica. Marley also gets into an altercation with manager Don Taylor over a financial dispute.

After a toenail infection, caused by being hit by a football, raises concern from Rita and his record producer Chris Blackwell, Marley is later diagnosed with a rare skin cancer. Blackwell confronts Marley about treatment choices, but a firm Marley reluctantly dismisses him. Marley, faced with his own mortality, reconciles with Rita and Taylor and finally decides to return to Jamaica in 1978, where he is welcomed back by a crowd at the airport. Back home, the gunman who had shot him and the others arrives and begs for forgiveness, to which Marley states he "keeps no vengeance." After Marley debuts Redemption Song to Rita and the children about reconciliation, she finally deems him ready to perform a peace concert. The film ends as Marley and his band gear up to perform again for the Jamaican crowd with the song "One Love."

A pre-credits montage shows clips of the real Marley and his band during the One Love Peace Concert, which sees them joined on-stage by the heads of both of Jamaica's political parties, and also reveals that Marley and his band performed in Zimbabwe to celebrate the nation's independence before he died of his cancer in 1981, at the age of 36.

Cast

{{castlist|

Production

=Development=

In June 2018, it was announced that Paramount Pictures was developing a biographical drama film based on the life of singer and songwriter Bob Marley, with Marley's son Ziggy Marley serving as a producer.{{cite web |last1=Jr |first1=Anita Busch,Mike Fleming |last2=Busch |first2=Anita |last3=Jr |first3=Mike Fleming |title=Ziggy Marley Jammin' At Paramount With Biopic Based His Dad, Reggae Legend Bob Marley |url=https://deadline.com/2018/06/ziggy-marley-biopic-bob-marley-paramount-1202404203/ |website=Deadline |date=6 June 2018}} In March 2021, Reinaldo Marcus Green had been hired to direct, with Zach Baylin (who wrote Green's 2021 film King Richard), Frank E. Flowers, and Terence Winter writing the screenplay.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/03/paramounts-bob-marley-biopic-king-richard-reinaldo-marcus-green-1234704837/ |title=Paramount's Bob Marley Biopic Sets 'King Richard' Helmer Reinaldo Marcus Green To Direct|first=Justin|last=Kroll|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=March 3, 2021|access-date=March 3, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/02/kingsley-ben-adir-bob-marley-paramount-1234931170/ |title=Kingsley Ben-Adir Tapped To Play Reggae Legend Bob Marley In Paramount Biopic|first=Justin|last=Kroll|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=February 11, 2022|access-date=February 11, 2022}} In February 2022, Kingsley Ben-Adir was cast as the titular character, after an extensive, year-long, and globe-spanning search by the studio.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/bob-marley-biopic-kingsley-ben-adir-1235179010/ |title=Bob Marley Biopic to Star 'One Night in Miami' Actor Kingsley Ben-Adir |first=Rebecca |last=Rubin |website=Variety |date=February 11, 2022 |access-date=March 11, 2023}} In August, Lashana Lynch had joined the cast playing as Bob's wife, Rita Marley.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/no-time-to-dies-lashana-lynch-bob-marleys-wife-rita-marley-paramount-marl-1235085372/ |title='No Time To Die's Lashana Lynch To Play Bob Marley's Wife, Rita, In Paramount Biopic |first=Justin |last=Kroll |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=August 4, 2022 |access-date=March 11, 2023}} In February 2023, Michael Gandolfini, Nadine Marshall, James Norton, and Anthony Welsh had joined the cast.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2023/02/michael-gandolfini-tosin-cole-james-norton-bob-marley-1235247497/ |title=Michael Gandolfini, Jesse Cilio, Tosin Cole, James Norton & Others Round Out Cast Of Paramount's Bob Marley Biopic |first=Justin |last=Kroll |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=February 2, 2023 |access-date=March 11, 2023}}

=Filming=

Principal photography began in December 2022 in London{{cite web |last=Gardner |first=Claudia |date=December 18, 2022 |title=First Look: Ben Kingsley As Bob Marley On Set Of Reggae Legend's Biopic — See Photos |url=https://www.dancehallmag.com/2022/12/18/news/first-look-kingsley-ben-adir-as-bob-marley-on-set-of-reggae-legends-biopic-see-photos.html |access-date=March 11, 2023 |website=Dancehall Mag}}{{cite web |date=March 8, 2023 |title=What's On Screen and Filming in London: March 2023 |url=https://filmlondon.org.uk/latest/whats-on-screen-and-filming-march-2023 |access-date=March 11, 2023 |website=Film London}} and Jamaica in Kingston, Trench Town, Norman Manley International Airport, Bull Bay and Cane River Falls and wrapped in April 2023.{{Cite web |last=Gardner |first=Claudia |date=2023-04-02 |title=Bob Marley Biopic Wraps Up Filming, Ziggy Says Manley, Seaga, Bucky Marshall, Claudius Massop Are Featured |url=https://www.dancehallmag.com/2023/04/02/news/bob-marley-biopic-wraps-up-filming-ziggy-says-manley-seaga-bucky-marshall-claudius-massop-are-featured.html |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=DancehallMag |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=Brent |date=2023-04-27 |title=Paramount Teases Stirring 'Bob Marley: One Love' Trailer, With Ben Kingsley Embodying Reggae Legend |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/marley-movie-footage-kingsley-ben-adir-reggae-legend-bob-marley-cinemacon-1235596247/ |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} The film's title, Bob Marley: One Love, was announced by producer Ziggy Marley at CinemaCon that same month.{{Cite web|url=https://collider.com/bob-marley-biopic-title-one-love/|title=Bob Marley Biopic Gets Official Title at CinemaCon|last=Vito Oddo|first=Marco|date=April 28, 2023|work=Collider|access-date=May 3, 2023}}

= Music =

{{main|Bob Marley: One Love (soundtrack)}}

In October 2023, it was reported that Kris Bowers had composed the film's score, after working with Green on Monsters and Men (2018) and King Richard.{{Cite web |date=October 10, 2023 |title=Kris Bowers Scoring Reinaldo Marcus Green's 'Bob Marley: One Love' |url=https://filmmusicreporter.com/2023/10/10/kris-bowers-scoring-reinaldo-marcus-greens-bob-marley-one-love/ |access-date=2023-12-06 |website=Film Music Reporter |language=en-US}} On January 26, 2024, American country singer Kacey Musgraves released a cover of the Wailers' "Three Little Birds" (1977), part of the film's soundtrack.{{Cite web |last=Corcoran |first=Nina |date=January 26, 2024 |title=Kacey Musgraves Covers "Three Little Birds" for Bob Marley: One Love Soundtrack: Listen |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/kacey-musgraves-covers-three-little-birds-for-bob-marley-one-love-soundtrack-listen/ |access-date=January 26, 2024 |website=Pitchfork}} The soundtrack EP of the film was released on February 14, 2024, by Island Records and Tuff Gong.{{cite web|url=http://filmmusicreporter.com/2024/01/29/bob-marley-one-love-music-inspired-by-the-film-soundtrack-ep-announced/|title=Bob Marley: One Love (Music Inspired by the Film) EP Announced|work=Film Music Reporter|date=January 29, 2024|access-date=January 31, 2024}}

Release

Bob Marley: One Love held its world premiere in Marley's hometown of Kingston, Jamaica, on January 23, 2024.{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=January 25, 2024 |title='Bob Marley: One Love' & 'Madame Web' Hope To Bring Moviegoers Together Over Valentine's-Presidents Day Frame With At Least $25M+ Each – Early Box Office Look |url=https://deadline.com/2024/01/bob-marley-one-love-madame-web-hope-to-bring-moviegoers-together-over-valentines-presidents-day-frame-with-at-least-25m-each-early-box-office-look-1235804733/ |access-date=February 8, 2024 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

It was released theatrically in the United States on February 14, 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/smile-mean-girls-musical-set-2024-release-dates-1235597249/|title='Smile 2,' 'Mean Girls' Musical Set 2024 Release Dates|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Aaron|last=Couch|date=September 22, 2023|access-date=September 22, 2023}} It was originally scheduled to be released on January 12, 2024. It was released in the United Kingdom on the same day as the North American release.

=Home media=

It premiered on Paramount+ and MGM+ in the US and Canada on April 12, 2024, with a linear streaming on the same day.

It was released on 4K Ultra HD, DVD and Blu-ray on May 28, 2024 by Paramount Home Entertainment.

Reception

= Box office =

Bob Marley: One Love grossed $96.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $83.9 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $180.8 million.

In the United States and Canada, One Love was released alongside Madame Web, and was initially projected to gross $30–35 million from 3,536 theaters over its six-day opening frame.{{Cite web |last=D'Alessandro |first=Anthony |date=February 12, 2024 |title='Bob Marley: One Love' Has More Hearts Over Valentine's-Presidents Day Stretch Than 'Madame Web', $30M+ To $20M+ – Box Office Preview |url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/box-office-bob-marley-one-love-madame-web-preview-1235823356/ |access-date=February 12, 2024 |website=Deadline Hollywood}} The film made $14 million on its first day, a Valentine's Day mid-week record (surpassing The Vow{{'}}s $11.5 million in 2012), and $3.8 million on its second.{{cite web|url= https://deadline.com/2024/02/box-office-valentines-day-bob-marley-one-love-madame-web-1235826028/ |title= 'Bob Marley: One Love' Gets Audiences High With 'A' CinemaScore & Midweek Valentine's Day Opening Record Of $14M; 'Madame Web' Spins $6M & C+ – Box Office |website=Deadline Hollywood|date=February 15, 2024|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|access-date=February 15, 2024}}{{Cite web |last=Lang |first=Brent |date=February 14, 2024|title= Box Office: 'Bob Marley: One Love' Earns $3.8 Million, 'Madame Web' Ensnares $2.2 Million |url= https://variety.com/2024/film/news/box-office-bob-marley-one-love-thursday-grosses-madame-web-struggling-1235913698/ |access-date=February 16, 2024 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} After making $7.5 million on Friday, six-day estimates were raised to $46 million. It went on to debut to $51 million over its first six days (including $27.7 million in its opening weekend), finishing first at the box office and marking one of the best openings for a music biopic.{{cite web|url= https://deadline.com/2024/02/box-office-bob-marley-one-love-madame-web-1235828289/ |title= 'Bob Marley: One Love' Gets Up & Stands Up To $51M; 'Madame Web' Crawls Near $26M Over 6-Day Holiday Frame – Sunday AM Box Office Update |website=Deadline Hollywood|date=February 18, 2024 |first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|access-date=February 18, 2024}} In its second weekend the film made $13.5 million (a drop of 53%), remaining in first.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/02/box-office-bob-marley-one-love-demon-slayer-madame-web-1235835359/|title='Bob Marley: One Love' At $120M+ WW Takes Out Three Little Birds At The Box Office – Sunday Update|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=February 25, 2024|first=Anthony|last=D'Alessandro|access-date=February 25, 2024}} It made $7.4 million in its third weekend, finishing second behind newcomer Dune: Part Two.{{Cite web |last1=D'Alessandro |first1=Anthony |date=March 3, 2024 |title= 'Dune: Part Two': How Sci-Fi Space Worm Epic Reared Head To $81.5M Opening After Strike Release Delay – Sunday Box Office Update |url= https://deadline.com/2024/03/box-office-dune-part-two-1235842667/ |access-date=March 3, 2024 |website=Deadline Hollywood}}

In Jamaica, the film's opening day gross of $100,000 and an 89% market share set a record for the biggest box office opening of all-time in the country.{{Cite web |last=Shaw-Williams |first=Hannah |date=2024-02-17 |title=Bob Marley: One Love Scores Jamaica's Biggest Box Office Opening Day Ever |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/1520386/bob-marley-one-love-jamaica-biggest-box-office-opening-day-ever/ |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=SlashFilm |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Mallick |first=Dani |date=2024-02-16 |title='Bob Marley: One Love' Scores Box Office Record For Biggest Opening Day Ever In Jamaica |url=https://www.dancehallmag.com/2024/02/15/news/bob-marley-one-love-scores-box-office-record-for-biggest-opening-day-ever-in-jamaica.html |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=DancehallMag |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Malhotra |first=Rahul |date=2024-02-18 |title='Bob Marley: One Love' Sings Its Own Tune In Spectacular Global Box Office Debut |url=https://collider.com/bob-marley-one-love-global-box-office-80-million/ |access-date=2024-02-22 |website=Collider |language=en}}

= Critical response =

{{RT prose|44|5.4|196|Kingsley Ben-Adir does an admirable job in the central role, but Bob Marley: One Love is ultimately a standard biopic that doesn't do justice to its brilliant subject.|ref=yes|access-date=November 26, 2024}} {{Metacritic film prose|43|36|ref=yes|access-date=April 23, 2024}} Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale, and those polled at PostTrak gave it a 91% positive score, with 80% saying they would definitely recommend the film.

Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "[Ben-Adir] wholly conjures Marley's charisma while also teasing the musician's sense of isolation, stemming from a childhood marked by abandonment. His compelling performance enlivens a film that otherwise feels like it's perpetually struggling to take off."{{Cite web |last=Gyarkye |first=Lovia |date=February 8, 2024 |title='Bob Marley: One Love' Review: Kingsley Ben-Adir and Lashana Lynch Enliven a Stunted Biopic|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/bob-marley-one-love-review-kingsley-ben-adir-1235819235/ |access-date=February 13, 2024 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US }} Javier Ocaña of El País called the film "a serviceable biopic that is saved by its soundtrack"{{Cite web |last=Ocaña |first=Javier |date=2024-02-14 |title='Bob Marley: One Love': A serviceable biopic that is saved by its soundtrack |author-link=Javier Ocaña|url=https://english.elpais.com/culture/2024-02-14/bob-marley-one-love-a-serviceable-biopic-that-is-saved-by-its-soundtrack.html |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=EL PAÍS English |language=en-us}} while Expresso thought it "showed the man beyond the myth."{{Cite web |date=2024-02-14 |title="Bob Marley: One Love", o 'biopic' do rei do reggae, mostra-nos o homem aquém do mito. Já nos cinemas |url=https://expresso.pt/blitz/2024-02-14-Bob-Marley-One-Love-o-biopic-do-rei-do-reggae-mostra-nos-o-homem-aquem-do-mito.-Ja-nos-cinemas-4b86c144 |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=Expresso |language=pt}}

Brian Lowry of CNN called the film "a dutiful addition to a recent wave of such biographies (see Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody), but a largely uninspired one."{{Cite web |last=Lowry |first=Brian |date=2024-02-14 |title='Bob Marley: One Love' review: Kingsley Ben-Adir plays the reggae star in a bland, family-authorized biopic |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/14/entertainment/bob-marley-one-love-review/index.html |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=CNN |language=en}} The Age{{'s}} Jake Wilson gave it 1.5/5 stars, called it a "routine biopicm" and wrote that "considering this is unlikely to be the last attempt to dramatise Marley's life story, next time it wouldn't hurt if a Jamaican filmmaker had a go."{{Cite web |last=Wilson |first=Jake |date=2024-02-14 |title=Routine biopic fails to capture the Marley magic |url=https://www.theage.com.au/culture/movies/routine-biopic-fails-to-capture-the-marley-magic-20240214-p5f50p.html |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=The Age |language=en}} The Atlantic{{'s}} Hannah Giorgis wrote, "One Love might offer a less daunting entry point than Marley, which can feel intimidating in its scope. But his music and ideas—and all the people who helped usher them into this fractured world—deserve better."{{Cite web |last=Giorgis |first=Hannah |date=2024-02-17 |title=The Missing Piece of the Bob Marley Biopic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2024/02/bob-marley-one-love-review/677500/ |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=The Atlantic |language=en}}

= Accolades =

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

! scope="col" |Award

! scope="col" |Date of ceremony

! scope="col" |Category

! scope="col" |Recipient(s)

!Result

! class="unsortable" scope="col" |{{Ref heading}}

scope="row" |BET Awards

| June 30, 2024

|Best Movie

|Bob Marley: One Love

|{{won}}

| align="center" |{{Cite web |last=Grein |first=Paul |date=May 16, 2024 |title=Drake Leads Nominations for 2024 BET Awards: Full List |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/awards/2024-bet-awards-nominees-drake-leads-nominations-1235684123/ |access-date=May 16, 2024 |website=Billboard |publisher=Billboard Media}}

rowspan="4" scope="row" |Black Reel Awards

| rowspan="4" |February 10, 2025

|Outstanding Supporting Performance

|Lashana Lynch

|{{nom}}

| rowspan="4" align="center" |{{cite news |title='Nickel Boys' Leads Black Reel Awards Nominees |first=Angelique |last=Jackson |work=Variety |date=December 19, 2024 |access-date=December 20, 2024 |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/black-reel-awards-nominees-nickel-boys-the-piano-lesson-1236252972/}}

Outstanding Hairstyling & Makeup

|Nadia Stacey and Carla Farmer

|{{nom}}

Outstanding Score

|Kris Bowers

|{{nom}}

Outstanding Soundtrack

|Bob Marley: One Love (Soundtrack)

|{{nom}}

rowspan="6" scope="row" |NAACP Image Awards

| rowspan="6" |February 22, 2025

|Outstanding Motion Picture

|Bob Marley: One Love

|{{nom}}

| rowspan="6" align="center" | {{Cite web |last=Jackson |first=Angelique |date=January 7, 2025 |title=NAACP Image Awards: Ayo Edebiri, Keke Palmer, GloRilla, 'The Piano Lesson' and 'Fight Night' Lead Nominations |url=https://variety.com/2025/awards/news/naacp-image-awards-nominees-ayo-edebiri-keke-palmer-glorilla-the-piano-lesson-fight-night-1236267864/ |access-date=January 7, 2025 |website=Variety}}

Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture

|Reinaldo Marcus Green

|{{nom}}

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

|Kingsley Ben-Adir

|{{nom}}

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

|Lashana Lynch

|{{nom}}

Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture

|The cast of Bob Marley: One Love

|{{nom}}

Outstanding Soundtrack/Compilation Album

|Bob Marley: One Love (Soundtrack)

|{{nom}}

References

{{Reflist}}