Bohemian Rhapsody (B or 3/4 stars)
'Bohemian Rhapsody' (directed by Bryan Singer ... 'til he was fired; later by Dexter Fletcher) is a fact-based musical drama about the rock band Queen; particularly its talented, flamboyant & enigmatic lead singer, Freddie Mercury (boldly portrayed by Rami Malek). The story kicks off in 1970 in London, where Farrokh "Freddie" Bulsara (Malek) is an airport worker from an Indian-Parsi working-class family who has big dreams for himself. He gets a crack at those dreams when the lead singer of a popular local band quits and Freddie convinces drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) & lead guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee) that he'd be a great replacement with his astonishing vocal range.
Joined by bass player John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello), they name themselves Queen, Freddie changes his last name to Mercury, and the band starts writing new songs/performing before adoring crowds. Before long, Freddie dates one-time lover/lifelong friend Mary Austin (Lucy Bonyton, so good in 2016's Sing Street) & Queen gets both a manager, John Reid (Aidan Gillen, slimeball Littlefinger from Game of Thrones), & lawyer, Jim "Miami" Beach (Tom Hollander), they suddenly strike it hot; though they have a tough time convincing recording label exec, Ray Foster (Mike Myers), that their song, "Bohemian Rhapsody", will be a hit {when 6 min. long singles were virtually unheard of}.
It IS a smash hit, & their success continues to build ... all while Freddie begins exploring his sexuality. That includes navigating flirtations with his duplicitous manager, Paul Prenter (Allen Leech, Tom of Downton Abbey), & a relationship with Jim Hutton (Aaron McCusker), who eventually becomes his life-partner. As Queen keeps banging out genre-bending musical hits, they contend with the pitfalls of fame, particularly in regard to their lead singer who is struggling with a bloated ego, friendship hardships, drinking, drugs, his sexual identity & grave illness. After attempting a doomed solo career and going down a dark path with the wrong entourage, Freddie & Queen find redemption in 1985 with the triumphant, climactic Live Aid show that was broadcast around the world.
I went into 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with trepidation because the critical reception to this film has basically been "See it for Malek, the rest is paint-by-the-numbers average & barely touches upon Mercury's sexuality". And truthfully, Rami Malek hadn't done much for me as an actor/celebrity, either. But what happened was ... I simply had a good time watching this. I mean, sure -- it starts a little iffy. I had to get used to Malek's prosthetic overbite. The film does contain paint-by-the-numbers biopic plotting. And the film labors a bit near the end right before the Live Aid concert. But I enjoyed what I saw & heard. The actors do well. The production values {camerawork, costumes, snazzy editing} are stellar. And the music sequences, including the titular song, "We Will Rock You", "Killer Queen", "Love of My Life", "Another One Bites the Dust", are electric.
Diminutive Rami Malek does a great job re-creating Mercury's swaggering onstage bravado. Just as impressive is his deeply felt, insightful channeling of Mercury's talent, ego, personal demons, alienation & self-destructive ways; even all at once & at the height of his fame. And by the way, to the critical notion that this film is homophobic, I don't know what film they all watched. This film drips with Mercury's (bi/homo)sexuality, so I'm confounded by the critiques of that. I liked Allen Leech as sycophantic Paul Prenter, who latches onto Freddie & leads him astray. Other than him though, one might've wanted more specific, personal insight into the other band mates or Mary Austin. But the actors are all fine and, given the 135 minute running time, I suppose some characters were destined to be shortchanged.
So, yeah. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' could have gone deeper into the mystifying man at its core; instead, it opts to cover the usual rise to success, fights & redemptions {just like a Ray or Walk the Line}. This film IS historically inaccurate; a patchwork of fact & fiction that plays fast-&-loose with timelines. i.e., Freddie discovers he has AIDS in 1985 before the Live Aid concert when, in reality, he wasn't diagnosed until '87. That said, Queen was consulted for this film so, if they approved the plot, who are we to egregiously complain? Furthermore, I enjoyed another historically inaccurate musical last year, The Greatest Showman.
I relished Bohemian Rhapsody's scenes of joyful abandon in creating music magic. And despite this movie's problems/mediocre script, it plays great on the big screen. My dad dug it. People in my theater laughed a lot at the humor & beamed during the musical sequences. Thanks to Malek & Queen nostalgia, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' succeeds as sit-back-and-enjoy-it entertainment.
Joined by bass player John Deacon (Joseph Mazzello), they name themselves Queen, Freddie changes his last name to Mercury, and the band starts writing new songs/performing before adoring crowds. Before long, Freddie dates one-time lover/lifelong friend Mary Austin (Lucy Bonyton, so good in 2016's Sing Street) & Queen gets both a manager, John Reid (Aidan Gillen, slimeball Littlefinger from Game of Thrones), & lawyer, Jim "Miami" Beach (Tom Hollander), they suddenly strike it hot; though they have a tough time convincing recording label exec, Ray Foster (Mike Myers), that their song, "Bohemian Rhapsody", will be a hit {when 6 min. long singles were virtually unheard of}.
It IS a smash hit, & their success continues to build ... all while Freddie begins exploring his sexuality. That includes navigating flirtations with his duplicitous manager, Paul Prenter (Allen Leech, Tom of Downton Abbey), & a relationship with Jim Hutton (Aaron McCusker), who eventually becomes his life-partner. As Queen keeps banging out genre-bending musical hits, they contend with the pitfalls of fame, particularly in regard to their lead singer who is struggling with a bloated ego, friendship hardships, drinking, drugs, his sexual identity & grave illness. After attempting a doomed solo career and going down a dark path with the wrong entourage, Freddie & Queen find redemption in 1985 with the triumphant, climactic Live Aid show that was broadcast around the world.
I went into 'Bohemian Rhapsody' with trepidation because the critical reception to this film has basically been "See it for Malek, the rest is paint-by-the-numbers average & barely touches upon Mercury's sexuality". And truthfully, Rami Malek hadn't done much for me as an actor/celebrity, either. But what happened was ... I simply had a good time watching this. I mean, sure -- it starts a little iffy. I had to get used to Malek's prosthetic overbite. The film does contain paint-by-the-numbers biopic plotting. And the film labors a bit near the end right before the Live Aid concert. But I enjoyed what I saw & heard. The actors do well. The production values {camerawork, costumes, snazzy editing} are stellar. And the music sequences, including the titular song, "We Will Rock You", "Killer Queen", "Love of My Life", "Another One Bites the Dust", are electric.
Diminutive Rami Malek does a great job re-creating Mercury's swaggering onstage bravado. Just as impressive is his deeply felt, insightful channeling of Mercury's talent, ego, personal demons, alienation & self-destructive ways; even all at once & at the height of his fame. And by the way, to the critical notion that this film is homophobic, I don't know what film they all watched. This film drips with Mercury's (bi/homo)sexuality, so I'm confounded by the critiques of that. I liked Allen Leech as sycophantic Paul Prenter, who latches onto Freddie & leads him astray. Other than him though, one might've wanted more specific, personal insight into the other band mates or Mary Austin. But the actors are all fine and, given the 135 minute running time, I suppose some characters were destined to be shortchanged.
So, yeah. 'Bohemian Rhapsody' could have gone deeper into the mystifying man at its core; instead, it opts to cover the usual rise to success, fights & redemptions {just like a Ray or Walk the Line}. This film IS historically inaccurate; a patchwork of fact & fiction that plays fast-&-loose with timelines. i.e., Freddie discovers he has AIDS in 1985 before the Live Aid concert when, in reality, he wasn't diagnosed until '87. That said, Queen was consulted for this film so, if they approved the plot, who are we to egregiously complain? Furthermore, I enjoyed another historically inaccurate musical last year, The Greatest Showman.
I relished Bohemian Rhapsody's scenes of joyful abandon in creating music magic. And despite this movie's problems/mediocre script, it plays great on the big screen. My dad dug it. People in my theater laughed a lot at the humor & beamed during the musical sequences. Thanks to Malek & Queen nostalgia, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' succeeds as sit-back-and-enjoy-it entertainment.