MMA Film Club #1 - Bohemian Rhapsody

[The Rocketmen]

I think this one has been popular enough that this could be a good jumping off point. Justin I believe has finished all of the Best Picture nominees, and I've been working through them as well. We have the Oscars coming up this weekend, so might as well do a couple of these a day right to the awards. And we can carry these conversations there after.

So, Bohemian Rhapsody will be up first.

#1 BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY



Plot: The story of the legendary rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, leading up to their famous performance at Live Aid (1985).

IMDB Rating: 8.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: Critics = 61% / Audience = 88%

THINGS TO CONSIDER:

These questions should help you think of and dissect the film you've seen. Try using some of these questions to help you participate in giving your assessment of the film and frame your opinion.

1. How did the film make you feel?
2. Did it exceed or fail to meet your expectations?
3. Were you immersed in the world the film created?
4. Did the film accomplish what it set out to do?
5. What does the film say about the world we live in?
6. What appeal do you think the film will have for audiences?
7. What are the film's strengths?
8. What are the film’s weaknesses?
9. How does the film differentiate or distinguish itself from other work?

Any additional thoughts?

What would you score the film out of 10?

Anything you want to ask the other viewers of this film?

WARNING - EVERYTHING BELOW THIS POST WILL CONSIST OF SPOILERS

[The Rocketmen]

1. How did the film make you feel?

Pretty irritated. I had a very positive outlook on Mercury coming into the film, and left it kind of hating the guy. And I think I blame the writers on that. There's a scene at a party where the straight band members come in and essentially tell Freddy that he's losing it - and what is Freddy doing? He's having a party and being gay. So apparently being gay is totally wrong.

I get that the film was set in the 80s when the "we're cool with gay people" thing wasn't really in yet, but for a movie made in 2018, it made the band members look like assholes, and the rest of the film was focused on making Freddy look like an egotistical asshole.

For a film filled with songs people love, it really made me hate the band.

2. Did it exceed or fail to meet your expectations?

Failed. I wanted so badly to enjoy this movie, but every character was so hateable that I just couldn't do it. Even the stupid "everyone glances at each other and smiles because this might be the last time Freddy sings again" thing at the end was cringey and annoying.

3. Were you immersed in the world the film created?

I don't really think the movie let me in.

4. Did the film accomplish what it set out to do?

I'm not sure. It hated on gay people and made it seem like everyone who is an asshole gets aids. I don't really know what this movie wanted to do. If it wanted to make me hate Queen, it succeeded I guess?

5. What does the film say about the world we live in?

That being gay is bad and hurts people's feelings. His poor wife, his family, even at the end he called some dude his "friend" and didn't actually say he was gay, and his father accepts him. Really, his dad kind of sucked too because he hated that his kid hated his culture, and changed his name, everyone just seems to hate everything about themselves, but then it's all good because he sings a song at the end and has a good time. I feel like this movie rewrote history a bit but made it shittier.

6. What appeal do you think the film will have for audiences?

People will love it because they like the songs.

7. What are the film's strengths?

Peter Baelish was on this movie and was solid, so was Mike Myers.

8. What are the film’s weaknesses?

Every single thing about Rami Malek's performance.

9. How does the film differentiate or distinguish itself from other work?

Usually when biopics come out, there's two of them. I wish there was a second one on Queen so I could see how they both portray him. I might need to watch a documentary on Queen now just to see if Freddy really was as big of a douche as he came across in this movie.

Additional Thoughts:

This was probably my least favorite music biopic I've ever seen.

Mike's Rating:

I am so disappointed in having to do this, but I give it a 5/10.

Everything production wise was kind of fine. The Live Aid scene was cool, but I cared so little by that point that a giant squid could have come down and eaten Manhattan and I would have been as excited. And Rami Malek had me at times thinking of a quote from Tropic Thunder: "Never go full retard." I feel like Rami played a disabled version of Freddy. And then everyone hated on the disabled boy.

And if that is apparently an authentic portrayal of Freddy then I guess the jokes on me.

This movie was basically a cookie-cutter, made for TV movie that got more noise because it's Queen and a lot of money was put into marketing.

[xx - Former Bulldozers]

1. How did the film make you feel?

Angry that I wasn't able to be alive when Freddie Mercury was. The singing of Marc Martel and the acting of Rami Malek was so good that it brought Freddie back to life. Even Brian May and Roger Taylor felt like Freddie was there. Such an amazing movie.

2. Did it exceed or fail to meet your expectations?

I loved Queen before I watched the movie and found out how little I actually knew about them. While some of the details of the movie were altered (like Freddie having aids before Live Aid even though irl Live Aid was in 1985 and Freddie found out he has aids in 1987) it still brought interest to me that made me do a lot of research on the band. Hell, I didn't even know Freddie changed his name from Farrokh Bulsara to Freddie Mercury.

3. Were you immersed in the world the film created?

Definitely, they made everything seem so real. The Live Aid performance was a replica of their Live Aid performance irl though it was missing a song or two. The love story between Freddie and Mary Austin was great too. I wish they showed more of Jim Hutton but there's not much to know about their relationship and considering how private Jim is, I think he didn't want that big of a role in the movie.

4. Did the film accomplish what it set out to do?

I think it did. Brian May and Roger Taylor wanted to show the life of Freddie Mercury and they did it. They showed his struggles (even though they were exaggerated to make the movie more interesting) and all the performances were captivating. Plus showing how the songs were written was very interesting.

5. What does the film say about the world we live in?

One scene comes to mind when I'm asked this, the scene when Freddie is being beraded by questions by the media. I think our world gets to involved into people's lives and it makes them harder to enjoy the work they do. Luckily for Freddie, he and the band were adults when they became famous but for younger people like Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus, I think it takes a toll on their lives and really hurts their ability to grow as a person.

6. What appeal do you think the film will have for audiences?

I believe a very strong one. Queen was such a popular band and still is even though Freddie died in 1991. While Queen is still trying to play music with Adam Lambert, they died when Freddie died. This movie shows fans a life of Freddie that most probably didn't know. While Freddie was very outgoing and had a large stage presence when he was singing, he was a very private person and not many knew about what was going on in his every day life. The public didn't even know he had aids until the day before he passed away.

7. What are the film's strengths?

Having Brian May and Roger Taylor helping direct the movie is a large strength. Having two of the closest people to Freddie when he was alive really helps give a backstory to Freddie's life that most people didn't know. The performances from Marc Martel and Rami Malek were huge strengths of the movie as well. Martel sounds so much like Freddie it's creepy, he was able to bring Freddie's voice back to life and Malek was able to bring his persona back to life. Malek did an amazing job and was really able to bring Freddie Mercury to the big screen.

8. What are the film’s weaknesses?

I think the only weakness for me was not having enough time to show everything. Showing Freddie's struggle with aids would have added another level to the movie. Missing some key songs like "The Show Must Go On" hurt the film a little bit. I think showing the writing of that song while Freddie was struggling with aids would have showed a bigger picture that most people never realized.

9. How does the film differentiate or distinguish itself from other work?

I don't believe there's been any films like this. Where they bring the person back to life and show his/her life and some of the struggles they went through as well. I believe this has opened the gates for more movies like this to be created. Elton John has a movie coming out called "Rocketman" about his life and I think we'll start seeing more movies like this especially for people who have passed away.

[xx - Team GAP]

i believe the movie was magnificient. when i go to a movie i want to be entertained.. i was. i feel that rami malek (and the rest of the cast) did a great job taking on not only a role but a persona and they were all cast amazingly as they all looked the part. with the running movie length being long i felt it gave a good chance for people to understand the characters a bit more. even with its length i felt at times the movie seemed rushed at points.. i feel it could have been even longer and not many would be bothered by it. having queen there to provide insight and directorial hints i think gave a sense of realism that otherwise may not have been there. well worth the watch.

[The Texas Rattlesnakes]

1. How did the film make you feel?
- I've been a fan of Queen for as long as I can remember. My mom and I would listen to them a lot, along with other old bands that she would introduce me to. When I heard the film was coming out, I was really excited, and it made me feel a lot of different emotions. I enjoyed the music, the acting, and most of all just thought they portrayed everything really well. When Freddy finds out he has AIDS and the Live Aid performance made me really emotional. Rami Malek did a really good job portraying Freddie Mercury.

2. Did it exceed or fail to meet your expectations?
- The only expectations I had really was for some good music and entertainment, so I'd say it definitely exceeded my expectations. I don't know if I thought it was going to be best picture worthy, but after my second time seeing it, I think I was happy with it.

3. Were you immersed in the world the film created?
- Definitely. It had my attention the entire time, but I enjoyed it more the second time I think.

4. Did the film accomplish what it set out to do?
- Yeah, I think so.

5. What does the film say about the world we live in?
- We need better music, and less auto tune.

6. What appeal do you think the film will have for audiences?
- It depends on what type of person is watching. I think fans of Queen will enjoy it more than people who don't have a basic understanding of their story.

7. What are the film's strengths?
- The movie is very entertaining, and the casting was perfect. Especially for Brian May and Freddie.

8. What would you rate out of 10?
- Probably like a 7 if I'm being honest. At the same time, I look forward to seeing the other candidates for Best Picture.

[The Sandmen]

I feel like this was exactly the same as A Star is Born, but with better music.

Completely average movie, getting ultra-buzz for no real reason other than we have a shockingly weak Oscar season this year. It's an Oscar-calibre movie, but a low-level Oscar-calibre movie. Many films in past years that were nominated, but not in the real running for Best Picture were far better than this and A Star is Born.