Movie: Bohemian Rhapsody
My Rating: 5 stars
I absolutely loved this movie! Really, I can’t praise it highly enough. The story, the music, everything—there wasn’t a dry eye in the house after the movie finished. I saw it in the theater, and it was a really moving experience. This movie is, of course, a biopic of Freddie Mercury, and the band he was in, Queen. I didn’t really know much about Mercury going into the film. I was familiar with his music, the same as everyone else. Somehow, Queen’s music has really seeped into the fabric of American culture so deeply that we’re all aware of it whether we know it or not. And, this movie is full of their songs from start to finish. They’re woven perfectly into the story—a perfect balance of narrative and song. And, I was really quite surprised by how many of Queen’s songs I actually knew by heart. And, I’ve never really thought of myself specifically as a fan of theirs.
But as I mentioned before, I knew nothing of Freddie Mercury’s life story. And, this movie starts with him as a rather rebellious college-age kid, living with his very conservative parents. And, the movie continues on with him pushing boundaries wherever he came up against them—gender roles, sexuality, band politics, record label negotiations, relationships in general. It looked like a pretty lonely life—and sad. It broke my heart to watch. Because, I can relate to the concept of the alienating effect of a strong personality. Of course, I’d never want to give up that fire behind the eyes to be “normal.” And, I’m glad Freddie never did either. It’s a hard life. It requires a lot of apologizing, hat in hand (literally—Freddie shared my penchant for novelty headwear). But, all you need is one person in your life who’s willing to smile beatifically at you, and pat you on the head, as you laugh maniacally in their face. And, then everything will be alright. Wow! At some point this post morphed and became alarmingly all about me. :o/ But, so be it!
I think this movie hit me so hard because all of Queen’s big songs were written from that really emotional place deep inside that makes us cry when we see an ice-skating performance that’s too beautiful. Anyone else? Is that just me? Oh well, you know what I’m talking about. (If not, is your heart made of stone?) And, Freddie Mercury’s amazing voice captures that raw emotion in the most visceral way possible. And everyone else in the theater was weeping alongside me. (So, I’m not the only weirdo). You need to see it! I want to see it again! Maybe next time at home, so that I can sing along without too much side-eye. Don’t wait. I’m sure you’ll love this film too. In conclusion, I think this exercise has taught us all a little too much about me . . . I’ll show myself out.