Sound and Fury Signifying Nothing

Rating: 6/10 (2 November 2019)

The Queen soundtrack is great, of course, and technically "Bohemian Rhapsody" deserves the praise. It's a well-paced biopic, too, that hits all of the expected notes, but it's manufactured vapidity conflated by an ahistorical arrangement to create baddies while trivializing the part of drugs, homosexuality and AIDS in the life of Freddie Mercury.
Reportedly, the biggest mainstream LGBT movie yet, "Bohemian Rhapsody" ridiculously makes its gay protagonist's romantic life revolve around a woman, whereby he's not depicted as having a boyfriend until after he's diagnosed with AIDS. There are several references to his apparent sex life with his to-be wife, including them lying in bed and him boasting about it in front of her deaf father, in addition to the overriding theme of their love for each other. Meanwhile, his homosexual relationships are either hardly hinted at with the odd glance or confused with sexual harassment by a forced kiss here and a posterior grab there, until he's outed in the media, for partaking in a series of sexual encounters that were never shown. Tellingly, illicit drugs receive a similar obfuscated approach, with their mostly being only suggested by dancing and partying, alcohol and ashtrays. A PG-13 picture of a rock star is just a mistake, but the apparent shyness and queasiness over sexuality is worse. Hiding the queerness off stage while celebrating Mercury when he struts it in front of a crowd--consequently, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is more of an extended Queen concert than a biopic.
A recorded concert, that is--more akin to watching the Live Aid event on the telly if it weren't live instead of being there in the stadium. It's a "perfect performance," as one band member quips, when they're told their show for the BBC will be playback, requiring them only to lip sync. Well, Rami Malek won an Oscar for lip syncing his way through the performances of Mercury. Admittedly, he does the part well visually, including the prominent prosthetic teeth. The singing, however, is reportedly a mix of Malek and a professional singer. I suppose, then, that "Bohemian Rhapsody" is even more like Queen recording a record in studio as opposed to concert performances. Indeed, some of the best scenes here are of the behind the scenes of the music industry and recording business. I also recently viewed "Rocketman" (2019) and was disappointed by its depiction of Elton John's creative process. "Bohemian Rhapsody," at least, demonstrates the band's experimentation and genre mixing, and the quarrels they have throughout the picture are largely based in the making of music. The movie itself likewise showcases technical virtuosity--not only in the soundtrack, but also with the swirling camerawork and narrative construction building up to the climax. Too bad it's hollow inside.