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Bob Marley, Rita Marley, Neville 'Bunny Wailer' Livingston, Chris Blackwell, Cindy Breakspeare ... see more see more... , Cedella Marley , Ziggy Marley , Jimmy Cliff , Lee Perry , Carlton "Pee-Wee" Fraser , Cedella Booker

Bob Marley's universal appeal, impact on music history and role as a social and political prophet is both unique and unparalleled. Marley is the definitive life story of the musician, revolutionary, a... read more read more...nd legend, from his early days to his rise to international superstardom. Made with the support of the Marley family, the film features rare footage, incredible performances and revelatory interviews with the people that knew him best. -- (C) Official Site

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91% liked it

25,389 ratings

Critics

95% liked it

100 critics

PG-13, 2 hr. 24 min.

Directed by: Kevin Macdonald

Release Date: April 20, 2012

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DVD Release Date: August 7, 2012

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Flixster Reviews (699)

  • 366weirdmovies
    December 20, 2012
    366weirdmovies
    An exhaustive (2.5 hour) chronicle of the life of the world famous reggae legend. Die-hard fans will be thrilled with the extensive interviews and concert footage; as a more casual fan, after an hour I had learned almost everything I ever wanted to know about the man and was read... read morey for the filmmakers to wrap it up---I was shocked to realize I was less than halfway through the movie.
  • fb701560354
    September 24, 2012
    fb701560354
    Marley is an insightful, inspirational, and deeply moving documentary on the life of a legend. Though the runtime is a bit much, and the film starts to drag near the end, for the most part, Marly features electrifying concert footage, and great interviews. Hilarious, touching, ... read moredisturbing, exhausting, fascinating and sad, Marley is a must see for any Bob Marley fan.
  • blkbomb
    September 21, 2012
    blkbomb
    Marley is a must watch documentary about the musical icon that was and is Bob Marley. There isn't a person around who doesn't know the name, despite the fact that they may not be familiar with his music. For fans of his, this is a real treat. Marley's life is handled with such ca... read morere. Every aspect of his life is given its due share. We see the life of Marley from his birth to a white man and black woman to his ultimate death at the age of 36. In between, there's a lot of emphasis put on his political and religious views. 

    I couldn't think another documentary will ever touch this one on sheer information and entertainment value. There's some better musical figure documentaries out there, but not too many. This isn't only a must watch for his die hard fans, but for music lovers in general. Even if you don't like him, there's no denying that he is one of the biggest icons in music ever. You definitely have to have a taste for his music to enjoy it, but still, even if you don't like his music, watch this film.

    Marley is a informative, entertaining, and stunning piece of filmmaking. It's a long film, at about two and a half hours, but the runtime never drags. There's enough stuff that happened in Marley's life to warrant a runtime of this scale. There's some great footage and pictures that just add to the overall entertainment value the film already has. There's amazing interviews that range from Marley's lovers to his kids to his lawyer to his childhood friends to his bandmates. Each interview gives us another piece of Marley's life.

    I expected a great documentary and that is exactly what I got. I was glued to the movie the entire time and actually did end up learn some stuff I had never even heard about. It's a movie that knows exactly what it set out to achieve and it did, and then some.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 24, 2012
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Bob Marley is one of the most iconic musicians that ever lived. Director Kevin Macdonald crafts a solid documentary about the life of the legendary Reggae musician. Comprising of interviews with the people that knew him best, Marley is a near perfect film, one that definitely is ... read morea must see for fans of the artist. Brilliant in telling his story, Marley is among the best music documentaries that I've seen. Bob Marley's life is legendary and his contribution to the music world is unique. Even if you're not a fan of his music, you can't deny the impact that Bob Marley has had on music. This film covers all the aspects from his life. With terrific interviews and archival footage, Marley is a fine film that should definitely appeal to fans of his music. In terms of a documentary, Marley is definitely a well constructed film that tells important facts on its subject. This is a well put together film that should be seen by every music lover, even if you're not a fan of Marley's music, give this film a shot. Very insightful and it gives a history of the birth of Reggae music as well. I've seen plenty of documentaries on various genres of music as well as rock and metal bands, and Marley is among the best music documentaries that you can watch. Although Reggae is not my style of music, I certainly loved the film, and thought the interviews were well done, amusing, sad and thorough. Fans of Bob Marley's music will love this stunning film.
  • ghostdog86
    May 29, 2012
    ghostdog86
    Director Kevin MacDonald and co-producer Ziggy Marley bring forth the most definitive look back at the life of Bob Marley, in the new documentary "Marley".

    From the formation of "The Wailers" and the comings and goings of different members of the band (including Peter Tosh a... read morend Jimmy Cliff), to Marley's dealings in Rastafarian and how it bled into his Reggae music; and also from his controversial lifestyle punctuated by being a "womanizer" (eleven children from seven different women) to his humanitarian nature, this in-depth (two and a half hour) documentary will immensely satisfy fan and novice alike. I, like many other younger American non-Rasta's, had grown up knowing Bob Marley for his more commercially catchy hits and from his countless depictions on a multitude of shirts worn by numerous Bay Area potheads. But, being a novice, going into this film I wasn't particularly interested in seeing a two and a half hour movie about the life and times Bob Marley. A story I thought I knew, and had heard, countless times before. But that notion changed rather abruptly within the first few minutes of this movie. And by the end, due to the brilliant investigative journalistic nature of MacDonald which elevates "Marley" from an average movie to a MUST SEE documentary, audiences who see this film will walk out with an in-depth appreciation for the man who wrote some of the most poetic and revolutionary lyrics in music history. "Marley" is the no holds barred dissection of a particular subject (or subject matter) which fans of great documentaries will crave (and in fact, was nowhere to be found in the films of 2011). And for a documentary that was originally supposed to be directed by Martin Scorsese, after seeing what MacDonald has accomplished here, it would be hard to imagine "Marley" being more perfectly executed in anybody else's hands.

    What truly sets "Marley" apart from other bio-documentaries and A&E specials is how, in a very PBS way, MacDonald uses a seemingly endless amount of archival footage, as well as interviews with almost everybody (still alive) who had anything to do with Marley's upbringing and his life as a world famous musician, as the narration. It was quite apparent that MacDonald had full access to any and all information he wanted, and as far as I could see, he thankfully took complete advantage of this fact. As audiences, we hear from Marley's family and peers about how as a young boy he was an outcast because of his mixed-race. We also hear from notable Jamaican artists and record executives, who saw his maturation into a musician that worked to bridge the gaps, not only in Jamaica (during times of war) but nationwide as well. In this way, MacDonald enables audiences to intimately know Bob Marley on every level (get your mind out of the gutter).

    But all the pure information aside, what MacDonald does very well here is not creating a documentary which totally sanctifies Bob Marley, much as many movies (tributes) do when celebrities with checkered pasts die. MacDonald captures recollections of Marley from both those who loved the man and those who thought him to be nothing more than a womanizing zealot, who was sadly not as politically motivated as he should have been.

    Final Thought: Overall "Marley" is a brilliant example of an archetype onto how all biographical documentaries should be made. Grade "A" filmmaking, in conjunction with a larger than life subject (subject matter) is what elevates "Marley" into one of the most entertaining two and a half hour documentaries I have ever seen. If you are at all a Bob Marley fan (casual or otherwise) and if you are able to, see "Marley", any way you can, before Hollywood makes a more commercialized (legacy ruining) feature film version of his life in a few years; starring Mekhi Phifer no doubt.

    Written by Markus Robinson, Edited by Nicole I. Ashland

    Please visit my page on Examiner.com http://www.examiner.com/x-52464-San-Jose-Indie-Movie-Examiner and leave any comments you have about this or any review. The more hits I get the better. Thank you.

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  • fb100001592288964
    April 22, 2012
    fb100001592288964
    Without a doubt, the best documentary I've seen since Exit Through the Gift Shop! I'm more of an admirer than hardcore fan of Bob Marley, but Kevin Macdonald's "Marley" is a brilliantly constructed biographical doc on the social/political/musical prophet that Bob Marley was. It's... read more incredibly detailed in just about aspect of the man's life, and the overall tone leaves you feeling so relaxed when watching it. Definitely one of my top 5 (maybe even 3) favorite films I've seen so far this year!
  • fb721890245
    May 15, 2013
    fb721890245
    A great documentary that takes the proper time to examine Bob Marley from an appropriate number of angles..not only in terms of the music but also of his upbringing, his religion and his various homes which influenced him to go in a number of different directions in life.
  • nickondras
    May 8, 2013
    nickondras
    "Marley" is about as ambitious a documentary as Kenneth Lonergan's "Margaret" is a narrative film -- and like the latter, it's a rich, exhausting, ultimately rewarding portrait of emotional connection through music and the power of bringing people together. Of course, brilliant a... read mores "Margaret" is, you can't say it isn't depressing as fuck. But, holy shit. We're not here to talk about "Margaret".

    Kevin Macdonald had a tricky task in coming at the legacy of an elusive person with "Marley". Rather than outline the caricature of Bob Marley or invade family privacy, Macdonald through eyewitness accounts (family and Wailers band members, etc.) goes for something deeper than the artist himself; to remind us of the peace and unity Marley strived for his whole (too short) life. And also instead of relying on testy political weight, Macdonald handles just about all aspects of Marley's upbringing and career with equal fascination, clarity and respect. In other words everything Bob Marley fought for and sang about in one comprehensive (and for now definitive) epic of one man's message that even long since spoken still today feels just as radiantly everywhere.
  • razsurferdude
    April 5, 2013
    razsurferdude
    Beautifuly done movie all wayz praize him: "BOB MARLEY" You will all wayz be a prophet, singer, rebel, raztaman 4ever bless HALIE SELASSIE I RAZTAFARI!!!!!!!!!! He made wonderfull muzik, his voice will alwayz survive when ever there iz pain, surffering or if ur feeling down.
  • ceciliaSchnueriger
    October 14, 2012
    ceciliaSchnueriger
    Great movie about Bob Marley. It tells his story from a lot of different angles: wonderful interviews with his children, wives, fellow musicians and friends. Unfortunately there wasn't enough of his music in the film though.

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Critic Reviews

Brad Wheeler
May 18, 2012
Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail

Marley is highly watchable, finely crafted legacy preservation - and it's either a white-washed sham or awesomely shaded. Full Review

Peter Howell
May 17, 2012
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

It wants to show us the man behind the famous dreads, beatific smile and durable songs of love, hope and longing. In this task it succeeds admirably. Full Review

Scott Bowles
April 20, 2012
Scott Bowles, USA Today

Sprinkled with riffs, concert footage and home videos, the family-authorized documentary does what the artist usually did: When in doubt, return to the beat. Full Review

Peter Margasak
April 20, 2012
Peter Margasak, Chicago Reader

Macdonald supplies some interesting and novel details about the musician's life and art, though the movie's narrative arc and documentary methods are totally predictable. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
April 20, 2012
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

Bob Marley wrote the same song about 8,000 times, and the documentary "Marley" makes sure to include each version. Full Review

Tom Long
April 20, 2012
Tom Long, Detroit News

This is a life story worth telling, and "Marley" does it much justice. Marley may or may not have been perfect, but he was certainly fascinating. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
April 20, 2012
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

It's hard to imagine audiences who don't know much about the man sticking around for more than a few minutes of this. And they're the ones who need to know about him most of all. Full Review

Farran Smith Nehme
April 20, 2012
Farran Smith Nehme, New York Post

The movie has enormous force - because it's about a genius, yes, but even more so because of the intelligence, passion and wit of the people who knew Marley. Full Review

David Malitz
April 20, 2012
David Malitz, Washington Post

It's exhaustive without being exhausting, an eye-opening and all-encompassing portrait that should go a long way to rescuing him from being a marijuana mascot. Full Review

Dana Stevens
April 19, 2012
Dana Stevens, Slate

Chronologically organized and voiceover-free, the movie is a 145-minute patchwork of old concert footage and talking-head interviews -- lots and lots of them -- from people who knew, loved, and worked... Full Review

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Facts

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    • Bob Marley: I catch ya!
    • Bob Marley: Love, prosperity, unity, Jah..Rastafari.
    • Bob Marley: Music goes ba ba ba ba, reggae music has 3 beats and then you imagine the 4th.
    • Bob Marley: One love.
    • Bob Marley: Let's get together and feel all right.
    • Bob Marley: My life is a people.
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  • In which movie feature all of this actor:Will Smith,Robert De Niro,Jack Black,Angelina Jolie,Martin Scorsese and Ziggy Marley?  Answer »
  • Which film features several Bob Marley songs in the soundtrack?   Answer »
  • What Marley Stars In The Movie Shottas?  Answer »
  • What "Marley" son starred in Shottas?  Answer »
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