Bohemian Rhapsody: Come For The Story, Stay For Rami Malek

The musical biopic is not exactly something new. In fact, by now, in 2018, it's actually become somewhat of a tired genre. Look back at most of the films in the genre and there's a similarity to all of them - the structure. Musical biopics, while often fascinating, tend to all follow a certain structure that has all but worn out its welcome at this point. People in 2018 are unsatisfied by watching the same story over and over and over again, just with different musical acts. Selena is Notorious is Ray is Walk the Line is La Bamba is Get on Up is Straight Outta Compton. There's a strict formula that each movie follows and the ones that stand out are the ones that were here first or the ones who told the story of a musician or band... but told it differently(*cough* Love and Mercy). Bohemian Rhapsody, unfortunately, doesn't buck that trend. In fact, it follows it perfectly in a real paint-by-numbers way. Walk Hard somehow parodied Bohemian Rhapsody's structure nearly a decade before it came out, it's THAT structural. You know what's going to happen. You know every single beat of this movie. There is absolutely nothing you don't already know and can't already predict walking into the theater. So, what's the point of going to see it? Two words:

Rami Malek. 

Bohemian Rhapsody is as cookie-cutter as it could possibly get. Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) is working as a baggage handler at the airport when the college band he follows loses their frontman. He offers up his songwriting and singing abilities and that's how Queen is born. They get signed, they write songs, they tour, they fight, they start to crumble, they break up kind of, they hit lows, they reconnect, they perform the greatest show of all time. Like, I could've written that synopsis before even watching the movie. It's so damn cookie-cutter, there's even a scene where the hard-headed, straight-laced, unaccepting father who disapproves of trying to make a career out of being in a band, gives his acceptance. Like, you KNOW what's going to happen, please do not underestimate that. But Rami Malek's performance as Freddie Mercury disguises nearly all of it. His portrayal of (in my personal opinion) the greatest vocalist of all time... is so extraordinary it makes all of the structural issues seem to disappear (for the most part).

Just a month ago all I could talk about is how Bradley Cooper is a lock for the Best Actor Oscar. It was a confident pick and one that I am now embarrassed to say might not actually be such a lock anymore. Rami Malek wasn't just playing Freddie Mercury, he became Freddie Mercury. Not since Jim Carrey transformed himself into Andy Kaufman have I seen an actor disappear into a role and BECOME that person leaving no traces of his former-actor-self behind. Every movement, ever mannerism, every hip thrust, and confident strut Malek makes is identical to Mercury. After seeing the film I'm convinced there's actually no other human being alive who could've done what Malek did with the performance. And through that - put a Mercury-colored gloss over our eyes so we don't sit and stew on the flaws of the film.

I don't know if the movie is going to convert anyone who isn't already a Queen fan because as far as the film goes - it's just a lot of "and then they did this song" moments. The first hour is probably the film's biggest weakness. We get Freddie and then he gets into Queen and then they're getting successful and then they record an album and then they get signed and then they play on the radio and then they start a tour. What the film doesn't provide is a lot of depth for these characters. Yes, we're interested in how they got together and how they started writing their songs and all that... but a good biopic is supposed to show us why. It's supposed to give us insight into the minds and souls of the band that we aren't privy to, but Bohemian Rhapsody doesn't really give us any of this for awhile. It does a better job with Freddie in the back half of the film, but we never really get into the heads and minds of the rest of the band. This could be more of a result of a change in the intended idea. The film initially had intended to be a Freddie Mercury biopic, but the rest of Queen demanded it become a Queen biopic instead. So, because of this we get a lot of "and then this happened" as well as "and then they did this song" moments instead of giving us explanations as to WHY it happened.

There's also a fair amount of cheese involved with the story telling. Songs getting "inspired" in cliched ways. People having emotional arguments in the middle of the pouring rain. That sort of thing. Plus, there's the liberties taken (as always) in changing history for the band a little bit. There are quite a bit of historical inaccuracies in the film. But Malek's performance is so strong it disguises the flaws. It distracts the viewer from these moments of cheese because the viewer's eye is so fixated on the wonder that is Malek/Mercury. And the movie isn't "bad" per se. Critics have panned the movie in the past few days, but praised Malek as the only reason to go. While I can see their point of view, the movie does offer a lot more than just a regurgitated formula for a musical biopic. There's plenty of heart in the film. There are a lot of laughs - I'm actually surprised at how funny the movie actually is (including a hilarious, albeit on-the-nose, comment from Mike Myers). And the end of the film which focuses on Queen's 20-minute performance at Live Aid is breathtaking. I love the fact that this movie had the balls to lead the movie up to a live concert performance and show the audience a perspective they've never gotten before.

If you're a Queen fan, don't worry - there are a LOT of Queen songs. And while the inception of the songs may not have happened like we are told they happened, it's still fun to see this band write some of the most iconic songs of all time. And Freddie Mercury has long since deserved a biopic. It's a damn shame it's taken them this long for them to get it made. And while this isn't exactly the FILM Mercury deserves, it certainly is the performance. If you're not a Queen fan... it's time to reevaluate your life, and become one.

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