Review of Bohemian Rhapsody (2018) by Cork B — 11 Nov 2018

OK biopic. Title was wrong - they should have called it something like 'Rise and Fall of Freddie Mercury'. First part was sterile Queen-can-do-no-wrong puff piece. When things started going downhill for Freddie, it got more interesting, and really started laying on the Hallmark moments. Not to say it wasn't well done, but everyone but Freddie was a one-dimensional cardboard character. Malek does a good job with the material here, although 1) he has some sort of odd accent or affecture I can't find in FM interviews and 2) they really kind of sidelined the gay thing here - maybe to make a rating cut - I don't know, but the movie feels very whitewashed.

The scene with Mike Myers (in excessive makeup) was hilarious if you watched Wayne's World. The movie worked better with the maudlin stuff than with humor though, and if you are a fan of Queen music (I am) you will find yourself singing along to a great soundtrack.