As a music-lover, there was a part of me that was always going to like Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s the same reason I liked A Star Is Born, or La La Land, or Almost Famous, or heck, even a movie like That Thing You Do. It’s fun to see musicians rise from obscurity to worldwide fame. It’s also rewarding to see music as an important element in our lives. I like the importance that music can have on our culture. Our music is one of the things that defines us as artistic, creative, intelligent beings. Music can transcend. Freddie Mercury surely did. Just to see his rise to greatness is enjoyable to watch, regardless of whatever qualms I might have with the film itself. As in real life, Freddie Mercury transcends this movie. So it at least has that going for it.
The movie itself does have its issues. It’s incredibly formulaic, and that formula can feel intrusive to the real life history of it. At times, it feels like we’re hitting the fast forward button, skipping through whole pieces of the story. It’s jarring, to jump so quickly through these major events. It just feels like so much is being glossed over. The movie is anchored by all the major milestones in a way that takes away from the personal intimacy that it so desperately needs. Not that it doesn’t have incredibly personal character moments. But since those moments are so connected to the biography-milestone plot structure, they don’t feel as…well, intimate and personal. We’re just jumping directly into important emotional moments in a person’s life without seeing a proper buildup. It’s strange to say, but the plot doesn’t really take a second to breathe, and show some of the more mundane aspects of Freddie Mercury’s life. We need that contrast in order to really connect with him. We all know about the incredible performances and the larger than life stage personality. But what did he do in his free time? What kind of funny conversations did he have with his friends? It’s those little things that make him human. It’s those little things that make us care about the character in the movie. I know this is a movie about a real person. So the filmmakers have an arc they have to draw. But I want to see some interesting real life stories from Freddie’s life. Some anecdotal evidence of who he was as a human being. Not just the huge rock star events that have already been very well documented. That’s what makes a good bio-pic. Getting to see the things we already know and love, while also finding new revelations. The “In Between Moments.” Freddie talks about them in the movie, actually. He says those are the times he dreads. Well, as an audience those are the moments we need to see, especially if he dreads them.
As much as I like Rami Malek as an actor, I don’t know if this is an Oscar-worthy performance. But he does as well as anyone really could have in portraying one of the greatest rock stars ever. And the movie is buoyed by Queen’s musical catalogue, which makes it a lot more fun to watch too. Any person who even remotely enjoys Queen’s music will enjoy seeing the band create and record and perform hits like We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, Another One Bites the Dust, and of course the titular Bohemian Rhapsody. I’m sure there’s a nit to pick about Malek lip-syncing. But if ever there was a time to use the real artist’s voice in a music movie, it would be for Freddie Mercury. Nobody would be capable of replicating his voice.
So, I kind of expected to hate this movie. But I actually liked it more than I expected. Now, in saying that, there’s a distinction that needs to be made. It’s easy to be captivated with the real-life story of Freddie Mercury and Queen. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a story that transcends any movie you can make about him/them. The movie itself isn’t perfect. In fact, I found myself cringing at large portions of it. I know they had a lot to cover, so they had to move quick through the major plot points. But it often felt like they’d skip to the next milestone just as it was starting to get interesting. So we’re left feeling a little detached as an audience. But overall, this is a decent movie that I think many people will find enjoyment in. Particularly the final scene at Live Aid, which is a crowd-pleasing reenactment of the original performance (which many people consider to be one of the best rock performances in history).
Should it be adorned with Oscar nominations and Golden Globe wins and all that? No, I don’t think so. But it’s an entertaining look at one of the most entertaining performers of the 20th century.