Review of Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) by David M — 03 Nov 2018

I enjoyed this more than A Star Is Born and a few other possible Oscar contenders this season. Some have quibbled with the portrayal of 80s gay life, from what I've been told. Others thought the AIDS angle was under-played.

But being in my late 50s, I remember those times, and I thought they touched on these things enough to remind you (or suggest to you) how hard it was for a gay man to come out back then - even to himself, in some cases - and what a death sentence AIDS was in that first decade.

But I think the filmmakers chose wisely in making the story more a celebration of these friends and their creativity and artistry than spending the whole time on their personal struggles (although in Mercury's case, they certainly didn't avoid them).

And ending the film the way they did was perfect. I really felt for this guy and, frankly, was gulping back tears off and on for the last 30 minutes. I understand the complaints, I guess, but I was with a group of five, aged 59 to 20 (wife and kids included) and we all really thought it was just great entertainment and a wonderful, tasteful tribute.