Big Picture Big Sound

Mercury Retrograde

We've all, at some point in our lives, been out with friends and, maybe while enjoying a few drinks, embraced arm-in-arm and loudly belted out with great pride and authority the lyrics to Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." You don't have to understand the lyrics - honestly, does anyone? - but most of us can sing the operatic anthem with considerable confidence.

The movie "Bohemian Rhapsody" charts the rise of Queen, with lead singer Freddie Mercury (Rami Malek) as the focal point. The movie can't quite capture the majesty of the titular song, and it seems to spend most of its runtime searching for the essence of what makes the group's music so great. Every plot point, every stop along Queen's trajectory, feels like a quick bullet point to check off in telling the band's story.

One night after listening to a band play at a club, Farrokh Bulsara (Freddie Mercury's birth name) approaches bandmembers Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and Brian May (Gwilym Lee) about the possibility of becoming their new lead singer. They initially brush him off as someone just trying to get their start as a musician but once they hear his voice, they know it's something special.

We see some initial gigs the band plays, but they quickly become the fully-formed Queen and are soon writing their hit songs. The first act of the film flies by with style and energy but quickly plateaus as the movie continues, creating a bit of a slog to endure. The middle section delves into all the familiar musical biopic tropes: the battle of egos, issues with record executives (Mike Meyers plays one of them), drugs, partying, and the damaging fights within the band. The issue with "Bohemian Rhapsody" isn't that it treads a well-worn path but that it loses its energy along the way. However, that energy is regained in a great final scene at the Live Aid concert in 1985.

A lot has been documented about the production behind "Bohemian Rhapsody," which was once a passion project for Sacha Baron Cohen to star in. Once it became clear he wasn't signed on for an R-rated telling of Mercury's life, he dropped out and the film moved on. Bryan Singer, the only credited director, was fired towards the end of production and Dexter Fletcher came aboard to finish things up. At times, "Bohemian Rhapsody" does feel like it was passed around in a game of hot potato: it's awkwardly stitched together in some scenes and beautifully edited in others. This creates a strange juxtaposition.

Malek takes a bit to settle into the role but once he does he embodies Mercury's persona. Half of Malek's performance is about channeling Mercury, the other half is about trying to keep in an oversized pair of false teeth (it might seem shallow to point out but it's distracting at times). His performance runs the risk of being comprised of actorly ticks, but Malek irons out his interpretation and evokes the soul of Mercury.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" has been derided since its early trailers for not embracing Mercury's sexuality, thus flirting with erasure. While the movie is quite tame, his homosexuality is depicted towards the end of the film. But, the movie is more concerned with his girlfriend-turned-friend Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton). She was undoubtedly a big part of his life, but putting their relationship at the forefront of the movie insinuates a hesitance to dig deeper into Mercury's life.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" doesn't do much to make it one of the great musical biopics of recent years and it rarely seems interested in trying to stand out. If you are a Queen fan, the music is there and provides entertainment but at 135 minutes, the razzle dazzle wears thin and feels stretched. It doesn't feel like the definitive Queen picture, but for now, it's fine enough.