Bohemian Rhapsody
Directed by: Bryan Singer
Written by: Anthony McCarten
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander, Aidan Gillen, Mike Myers, Ace Bhatti, Meneka Das, Priya Blackburn, Aaron McCusker, Dickie Beau, Dermot Murphy, Neil Fox-Roberts
Biography/Drama/Music - 134 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 29 Oct 2018
Written by: Anthony McCarten
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Allen Leech, Tom Hollander, Aidan Gillen, Mike Myers, Ace Bhatti, Meneka Das, Priya Blackburn, Aaron McCusker, Dickie Beau, Dermot Murphy, Neil Fox-Roberts
Biography/Drama/Music - 134 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 29 Oct 2018
It’s surprising to hear the members of Queen describe themselves as misfits, the band for those at the back of the room who don’t fit in. They probably were…in the 1970s. By the late ‘80s and into the ‘90s, Queen slid into the mainstream. Before they took to their pedestal on today’s classic rock stations, they were adult contemporary. For anyone younger than 40, "Bohemian Rhapsody" was always a beloved classic; this demographic will be shocked to learn critics derided and mocked it upon its arrival in 1976. Queen’s biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, is more involving when it’s about the music; about how the eponymous tune came to be, about how "We Will Rock You" figured out its foot stomps and claps. When it comes to band dynamics, their ups and downs, Freddie’s ego, and his sexuality, Bohemian Rhapsody comes off as cookie cutter and episodic. We’re here for the tunes, not the facts.
Seeing Rami Malek (Buster's Mal Heart) as Freddie Mercury takes some getting used to. It’s the mouth prosthetic. Freddie Mercury had one of the world’s most recognizable set of chompers, but whatever is hanging out in Malek’s mouth seems overdone. When Freddie first meets Brian May and Roger Taylor, Queen’s lead guitarist and drummer, he says, “I was born with four extra incisors.” Fair enough, but since Malek can hardly enunciate through them, the voice sounds like Tom Hardy as Bane when he garbles through his mask. I didn’t notice the voice so much after awhile, and it may even end up being one of those quirks which endears rather than stiff-arms, but prepare yourself.
Seeing Rami Malek (Buster's Mal Heart) as Freddie Mercury takes some getting used to. It’s the mouth prosthetic. Freddie Mercury had one of the world’s most recognizable set of chompers, but whatever is hanging out in Malek’s mouth seems overdone. When Freddie first meets Brian May and Roger Taylor, Queen’s lead guitarist and drummer, he says, “I was born with four extra incisors.” Fair enough, but since Malek can hardly enunciate through them, the voice sounds like Tom Hardy as Bane when he garbles through his mask. I didn’t notice the voice so much after awhile, and it may even end up being one of those quirks which endears rather than stiff-arms, but prepare yourself.
Freddie’s early years in Zanzibar, before the family emigrates to London, are only briefly mentioned but the point is made that Freddie is a foreigner. The “Paki” slur is thrown at him a few times to remind us of time and place and to put Freddie and his father at odds. Dad (Ace Bhatti) is old school and feels he failed his son who neither respects his roots nor the value of an honest day’s work. “You can’t get anywhere pretending you’re someone you’re not,” he warns just before Freddie and Queen begin to crack the world’s consciousness. This is also one of the most familiar character arcs in any film about a musician who reaches the pinnacle before learning tough life lessons during the resultant fall back down to Earth.
As with the standard biopic, the first half is always more enjoyable than the alcoholic and drug-fueled second half. Watching the "Bohemian Rhapsody" recording session is light-hearted and funny. Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) is breaking beneath how high he is supposed to yell, “Galileo!” Mike Myers, throwing on his Scottish accent again and directing in a blatant nod at what Wayne’s World did to the resurgence of the operatic anthem argues, “No rock fans will ever headbang to this song!” “We Will Rock You” is a gimmick now; did it really rock that hard back in the day as it does here?
Both the real-life Brain May and Roger Taylor were involved in the film’s creative process and are credited producers. Naturally, they come off as relative saints compared to the spiraling and chaotic Freddie. Straight Outta Compton emitted a similar vibe where Dr. Dre and Ice Cube were more angelic than Eazy-E. Dre and Cube were also major backers with considerable input. It’s not necessarily wrong; I fully believe May, Taylor, and bassist John Deacon had their shit together compared to the more flamboyant and experimental lead singer, but it's worth noting.
Exactly how director Bryan Singer and screen writer Anthony McCarten handle the lead singer ignited a simmering controversy which accompanies the film into theaters - how they allegedly neglected Freddie’s homosexuality and later AIDS diagnosis. Call me confused. The film pays more than enough attention to Freddie’s sexual orientation, it’s just poorly written and filmed attention. There is a ludicrous montage of leather bars and neon red lights to show the audience Freddie’s deliberate move into the underground clubs and nightlife of the ‘70s homosexual lifestyle. After his common law wife and best friend, Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton, Rebel in the Rye), confirms she knows his predilections, Freddie does not discover the value of monogamy until the morning of Queen’s most famous concert ever, Live Aid.
Live Aid bookends the film. Just like every other musician biopic, we start at the film’s version of the present, a major event, and then flashback to what they perceive as the beginning, to work our way forward again. What a day Live Aid must have been. Not only does Freddie finally track down the man he’s been searching for for years, he has a long overdue, cathartic encounter with his family, and then jets off for Wembley Stadium. Apparently, this all happened before tea time. Doing its best to erase this gargantuan mistake of pacing, Singer errs on the side of awesomeness and recreates the entire Live Aid concert. Malek struts and preens around the stage for 20 minutes and had me shrugging off the obviously CGI crowd. Who cares if the crowd is fake? This is one hell of a show here folks! It’s too bad the rest of the packaging is so garishly stale and force fed. Freddie Mercury may have broken the mold, but his biopic does not.
Comment Box is loading comments...
