Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

[tinaw]

Amazing, Amazing, Amazing. I never listen to the critics when it comes to movies. Bohemian rhapsody is the perfect reason why. This movie was great and critics thought it was, Meh

Rami should get an oscar nod for this performance. I really felt like i was watching Freddy Mercury. 

Must see movie

[Ms Blue Jay]

Difference between critics and audience on Rotten Tomatoes!

Edited November 5, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[thuganomics85]

Saw it tonight and I enjoyed it quite a bit, but I can see why the critics weren't wild about it because it admittedly does follow the musical biopic formula to a tee, and doesn't really try to separate itself in any way.  And there were definitely parts I suspect were exaggerated or sugarcoated, and while I disagree that the film was trying to hide Freddie's sexual orientation, I do think a lot of aspects were simply tone down in order to maintain a PG-13 rating, which is probably the right call from a business perspective, but I can see why some would find it frustrating.  Also, while I usually don't automatically think critics left other aspects effect their judgement, I do wonder if Bryan Singer's involvement just automatically turns some off.

But, overall, I thought it was entertaining despite the familiarity.  All of the band members were well cast (Joseph Mazzello really does look eerily like the real John Deacon), but Rami Malek was truly a revelation.  Besides the false teeth which were a bit much, he really embodied Freddie, and almost made me believe I was seeing the real Mr. Mercury on screen.  While I ended up dropping out of Mr. Robot, I'm glad this is being a big hit for Malek, and I hope his career continues to grow.  I wish they spent more time on the relationship between Freddie and Mary, but I thought Lucy Boynton really shined in her scenes as well.  Aidan Gillen and Tom Hollander were fun in their roles as well.  The only one I wasn't wild about was Mike Myers, who I found distracting and certainly didn't help that his role was about the shallowest cliche of the "antagonistic producer" that they could possibly do.

Loved all of the songs of course and how they were incorporated here.  Not surprised that we didn't get to see them creating the Highlander soundtrack, but I'm glad they still found a way to work in "Who Wants to Live Forever?"

While it was obviously Freddie's story first, I did like that they at least showed some of the other band members contributions, like how Brian was the one who came up with the "stomp and clap" bit for "We Will Rock You", or how Deacon was the brainchild behind "Another One Bites The Dust."

The Live Aid concert was definitely the best scene by a country mile.

Edited November 7, 2018 by thuganomics85

[methodwriter85]

On 11/3/2018 at 4:03 PM, Robert Lynch said:

. How about a Duran Duran or David Bowie bio? That would be neat.

I wouldn't hold your breath for a Duran Duran bio. They are very, very, very tight-lipped about band drama. Any t.v. bio I've seen of them that includes interviews with the band basically shows them lightly brushing dramas (John Taylor's drug problem, Roger Taylor dropping out, Andy Taylor's two exits from the band, etc etc) over and then talking again about how much they all love each other and what a thrill it is to perform for their fans. Three To Get Ready, a 1987 documentary about their band after Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor left, is probably the most candid they've gotten and they haven't been like that since. I don't think any of them would consent to a movie that might paint any of them in a bad light, even if it would be the easy thing to trash on Andy and make it all his fault. They wouldn't do it.

I would actually love a Bay City Rollers biopic because they are VERY candid about everything and their personal dramas but they're not taken seriously enough to get a biopic treatment. David Bowie is a possibility, but Iman might be protective of his image.

Anyway, I enjoyed it. Could it have been more? Sure, but they went with crowd-pleasing jukebox musical, and that's what they delivered, and delivered it well.

[Robert Lynch]

5 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

I wouldn't hold your breath for a Duran Duran bio. They are very, very, very tight-lipped about band drama. Any t.v. bio I've seen of them that includes interviews with the band basically shows them lightly brushing dramas (John Taylor's drug problem, Roger Taylor dropping out, Andy Taylor's two exits from the band, etc etc) over and then talking again about how much they all love each other and what a thrill it is to perform for their fans. Three To Get Ready, a 1987 documentary about their band after Andy Taylor and Roger Taylor left, is probably the most candid they've gotten and they haven't been like that since. I don't think any of them would consent to a movie that might paint any of them in a bad light, even if it would be the easy thing to trash on Andy and make it all his fault. They wouldn't do it.

I would actually love a Bay City Rollers biopic because they are VERY candid about everything and their personal dramas but they're not taken seriously enough to get a biopic treatment. David Bowie is a possibility, but Iman might be protective of his image.

Anyway, I enjoyed it. Could it have been more? Sure, but they went with crowd-pleasing jukebox musical, and that's what they delivered, and delivered it well.

I think you might have a point and you know the Elton John biopic is next year so we will have to see how that turns out. 

Too bad a Duran Duran movie won't be in the works. I could see either Freddie Highmore or Harry Styles as John Taylor. Not sure about Harry, though. I remember Harry saying that he was influenced by Duran Duran when he was part of One Direction. I know Freddie would dedicate every character to heart and become the character, but he has the Good Doctor so his schedule must be full. 

I did like the small clip of I Want To Break Free  where the bands in drag at the beginning. That was ingenious! Verbatim to everything.

[Squirt]

I have to see this. From what I've heard about Rami Malek and his performance of Freddie Mercury it was stellar.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I just saw Fleetwood Mac last night and I was wondering where their biopic was!

I agree that Mike Myers was kind of distracting, but my mother and I were DYING of laughter anyway.  Also I thought that the Wayne's World reference was way too on-the-nose and silly at the time, but when I discussed it with my parents after  they were all for it.  Ironic, considering I'm smack dab in the Wayne's World generation that only knows about Queen because of that movie, and when I dug deeper into the impact that WW had on Queen's resurgence, it's actually kind of insane.  They made a new music video for BR incorporating elements of Wayne's World and while some hardcore Queen fans probably thought that it was blasphemy, the band then won an award for it and two members of Queen went onstage to accept the award and Brian May was crying saying that Freddie would have appreciated it so much.  You can still see it on YouTube.

Edited November 6, 2018 by Ms Blue Jay

[Laurie4H]

4 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Ironic, considering I'm smack dab in the Wayne's World generation that only knows about Queen because of that movie, and when I dug deeper into the impact that WW had on Queen's resurgence, it's actually kind of insane. 

Quote

Yes I was 17 when Waynes World came so I was smack dab that generation also. I remember I had a Queen greatest hits CD (I loved music from all eras and liked Bohemian Rhapsody because they used to show the video on VH1) and when WW came out my CD was a hot commodity.  Everyone wanted to borrow it.  

Edited November 6, 2018 by Laurie4H

[JessePinkman]

I grew up listening to Queen without realizing I was listening to Queen. Their songs are so versatile, sometimes you can only tell they're by the same band due to Freddie's voice. Crazy. 

Here's a side-by-side comparison of the Live Aid concert.

Is it weird that as much as I enjoyed Rami Malek's performance I was most impressed by his lipsynching abilities? He really sold that.

[Spartan Girl]

Saw it and I loved it. For all the pre-release bitching, I think they handled Freddie's sexuality very well. And I have to ask, was Rami really singing during his "audition" with the band? I know most of the vocals was Freddie though.

Couldn't stop staring at Rami's ass in the Live Aid jeans. Damn!

Casting Mike Myers as that dumb manager who lost the band over "Bohemian Rhopsody" was brilliant. Funny that the critics panned the song when it was first released only to have it become a classic. Ironic that the movie's critical reception of the movie is following a similar format.

Edited November 7, 2018 by Spartan Girl

[Shannon L.]

20 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

I do think a lot of aspects were simply tone down in order to maintain a PG-13 rating, which is probably the right call from a business perspective, but I can see why some would find it frustrating. 

 

 

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Saw it and I loved it. For all the pre-release bitching, I think they handled Freddie's sexuality very well.

 

I agree with both of these statements.  I think that they did I good job portraying what it was like to be gay in the past.  I know it's still hard, but we've made great strides since then.  But back then, it must have been so lonely.  While I think Freddie may have been a bit more of a pain in the ass than was shown, my heart ached for him and I wanted to reach through the screen and hug him.  Rami did a great job and I hope that he gets nominated.  I don't know that I think he was quite good enough to win because I don't think his off stage parts were quite as strong as his on stage parts.  But, man when he was doing the music portions, he completely transformed. 

I started crying when he told the band that he had AIDS and I think the reason they didn't focus too much on the AIDS and his death because in real life, that's not what he wanted, so why put too much emphasis on the movie.  Anyway, I kept crying throughout the rest of the movie.

I loved Wayne's World and am quite embarrassed that I didn't recognize Mike Myers or put two and two together when they were talking about Bohemian Rhapsody! 

I got used to the teeth and the wigs after a while.

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Couldn't stop staring at Rami's ass in the Live Aid jeans. Damn!

He is just so beautiful.

[Robert Lynch]

Taron Egerton as Elton John? Is anybody looking forward to the Rocket Man biopic? The trailer seemed interesting. 

[truthaboutluv]

2 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

I started crying when he told the band that he had AIDS and I think the reason they didn't focus too much on the AIDS and his death because in real life, that's not what he wanted, so why put too much emphasis on the movie. 

Seriously, the man only publicly admitted he had AIDS literally a day before he died. There had been years of speculation and rumors, since apparently in his final years he'd become something of a recluse but Freddie never admitted he had AIDS until the very end. I saw a documentary this past weekend about his final days and Brian and John both said that in those final years, he never wanted to focus on his illness and be the person with AIDS and instead just wanted to make music and be about his music. 

When I read some of the criticisms about the film, particularly the claims of it being sanitized and Freddie's sexuality being whitewashed, I can't help feeling that for all the judgments of the film being a paint by numbers musical biopic, some of these critics wanted the cliche drugs, sex and rock and roll biopic.  Like everyone knows the stories about Freddie's sexual exploits and lovers and the sex clubs and drugs, etc. We all know that he lived like many gay men of that era and like many of that era died of AIDS. 

I just don't feel like we lost anything from not having to see some overtly wild gay sex scenes and drug use. And frankly, I think that path, if not handled well, can easily veer into gratuitous territory. I mean it's not like his sexual life with men was almost eradicated while there were all these love scenes with women. There really weren't any love scenes at all in the film. I saw a comment on another board where someone did complain about the focus on his relationship with Mary and felt like that was an example of the whitewashing of his sexuality because, according to the poster, they made it seem like Mary was the love of his life and none of the men mattered. 

Except, considering Freddie left like half his estate to Mary, entrusted his ashes and final resting place to her, was the godfather of her son, I'm thinking that she very likely was the love of his life. And to me, it's a bit narrow-minded to think that the love of a person's life can only be someone of the gender they're attracted to. Like I guess this person felt that because Freddie was gay, the love of his life had to be a man. Personally, I thought it was incredibly beautiful and heartwarming that Mary and Freddie were able to maintain such a strong connection despite their romantic relationship ending. 

As for the movie - loved it, absolutely loved it. Not as much as my sister who has now become obsessed. Obsessed with Queen (she already liked them but it's become full blown at the moment) and of course Rami. As a huge Mr. Robot fan, I couldn't be happier for Rami. I'll admit that aside from the facial looks, because he and Freddie were both of middle eastern descent, I didn't really see how he could pull this off when the casting was first announced. Even despite knowing how brilliant an actor he is. Hell according to him, he didn't see it either when the producers first contacted him. 

But man did he do the damn thing. Just killed it. And the rest of the cast was really good as well. I thought they had great cast chemistry which made the story and the film work a lot better. 

Edited November 7, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[mmecorday]

God, I love Queen. And I adored Freddie. I am so glad that people are enjoying this film, despite the mixed reviews.

[Spartan Girl]

6 hours ago, mmecorday said:

God, I love Queen. And I adored Freddie. I am so glad that people are enjoying this film, despite the mixed reviews.

Well, as we saw in the movie, the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" got mixed reviews too. So sometimes reviews don't mean shit.

[stonehaven]

I was bit nervous about the mixed reviews but I gotta say, I loved it. Biopics tend to be darker and make their subjects darker..Walk the Line had very little joy in it and made Johnny Cash a constant sourpuss....there was a horrific TV biopic of John Denver that added nothing to his legacy and made John out to be a cardboard cutout with violent tendencies....

So,this was standard but a cut above....and I loved it. The humor, the music the performances..were just fantastic...and I wanted to add that when "Radio Ga Ga" came out, I really thought it was dumb song 'till I saw the Live Aid performance..that sold me on how music can reach the soul..and  Queen could do that...I hope this movie serves a reminder that music can be awesome without autotune and talent comes back in vogue soon.

I will admit that the Wayne's World reference went by me until I was standing outside the theater and a woman in her late 50's was talking about the "Mark Myers" cameo..and how funny that was...I have to see this movie again!

[Robert Lynch]

On 11/6/2018 at 10:45 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

I just saw Fleetwood Mac last night and I was wondering where their biopic was!

I agree that Mike Myers was kind of distracting, but my mother and I were DYING of laughter anyway.  Also I thought that the Wayne's World reference was way too on-the-nose and silly at the time, but when I discussed it with my parents after  they were all for it.  Ironic, considering I'm smack dab in the Wayne's World generation that only knows about Queen because of that movie, and when I dug deeper into the impact that WW had on Queen's resurgence, it's actually kind of insane.  They made a new music video for BR incorporating elements of Wayne's World and while some hardcore Queen fans probably thought that it was blasphemy, the band then won an award for it and two members of Queen went onstage to accept the award and Brian May was crying saying that Freddie would have appreciated it so much.  You can still see it on YouTube.

 

I was shocked no story of Fleetwood Mac every came to mind. That would have been so good. Rami should win a Golden Globe Award. He was that good.

And probably a Duran Duran bio is not a good idea. Given that both band members are tight lipped about drama, it would probably never be greenlighted due to the original 3 members say. So I got that point. Can't win both ways. I always thought Duran Duran was rather tamed when it came to drama. I mean, they were sometimes at fault, but above all they kept their lives private throughout the years. Such a shame we will not see a biopic on them. Kiss and Fleetwood Mac...well, their drama was well documented. I could see Hollywood eyeing on those bands.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Hell, I want the Oscar for Rami!!!

[Spartan Girl]

One little moment I liked in the scene where the executive guy (Mike Myers) was trashing Bohemian Rhapsody was when he started going on about how it had "nonsense words" like "bismillah."  And it cuts to Freddie's face, which is tightening in anger, because for those who may not know, "Bismillah" is not a made up word, it's a Muslim invocation ("in the name of God"). 

[justmehere]

I was in high school when Bohemian Rhapsody came out, and wow was it a big deal. Everyone talked about it, went around singing it, wanted to learn all the words. I can't say I was a huge Queen fan, but they were definitely on my radar and I liked their songs. (Also loved that their music was part of Highlander, the series.)

I saw the movie a few days ago (and, naturally, still have BR in my head), and really liked it. I thought it was a little thin early on, but it became quite moving and poignant. Loved Rami, of course; definitely want to see it again. Interestingly, on the drive home, the local classic-rock radio station was playing their Live Aid performance. Great timing.

[Morrigan2575]

On 11/8/2018 at 12:20 PM, Spartan Girl said:

And it cuts to Freddie's face, which is tightening in anger, because for those who may not know, "Bismillah" is not a made up word, it's a Muslim invocation ("in the name of God"). 

I had no idea, thank you for that

5 hours ago, justmehere said:

(Also loved that their music was part of Highlander, the series.)

That entire album is gold. Who Wants to Live Forever, Princess of the Universe, One Vision, Friends will be Friends, One Year of Love, A Kind of Magic.

[Shannon L.]

On 11/8/2018 at 9:20 AM, Spartan Girl said:

One little moment I liked in the scene where the executive guy (Mike Myers) was trashing Bohemian Rhapsody was when he started going on about how it had "nonsense words" like "bismillah."  And it cuts to Freddie's face, which is tightening in anger, because for those who may not know, "Bismillah" is not a made up word, it's a Muslim invocation ("in the name of God"). 

I didn't know that.  Thanks for the information! 

6 hours ago, justmehere said:

 I thought it was a little thin early on, but it became quite moving and poignant. Loved Rami, of course; definitely want to see it again.

I agree. I forgot to add in my original post that I thought the second half was much better. 

[Ultrahyenagirl]

Quote

On 11/8/2018 at 10:20 AM, Spartan Girl said:

One little moment I liked in the scene where the executive guy (Mike Myers) was trashing Bohemian Rhapsody was when he started going on about how it had "nonsense words" like "bismillah."  And it cuts to Freddie's face, which is tightening in anger, because for those who may not know, "Bismillah" is not a made up word, it's a Muslim invocation ("in the name of God"). 

 

That's really interesting that he would use "bismillah" since Freddie Mercury wasn't actually Muslim, he was Zoroastrian. I was looking it up, and according to Wikipedia, there are less than 200,000 Zoroastrians in the world today. That thing that his father keeps saying about "good thoughts, good words, good deeds" is apparently like a Zoroastrian mantra.

Going to see this again today. 

[Spartan Girl]

3 hours ago, Ultrahyenagirl said:

That's really interesting that he would use "bismillah" since Freddie Mercury wasn't actually Muslim, he was Zoroastrian. I was looking it up, and according to Wikipedia, there are less than 200,000 Zoroastrians in the world today. That thing that his father keeps saying about "good thoughts, good words, good deeds" is apparently like a Zoroastrian mantra.

Going to see this again today. 

I think it might be used among Zorastrians as well. Either way, it wasn't a "nonsense word" and I don't blame Freddie for being offended.

[bijoux]

This is such an immersive movie. It's not perfect, but I just wanted to press replay as soon as it ended in the theatre. Just a wonderful viewing and listenint experience. 

While I don't know if Bohemian Rhapsody is the best song ever made, it's certainly the best one I've ever heard. And still, I'm finding myself replaying Love of My Life after seeing the movie. It's not one I paid attention to much before, but it's so wonderfully soft and depict not only Freddie's deep and honest love for Mary, but his soft side as well. 

On 04. 11. 2018. at 2:33 AM, Helena Dax said:

Also, according to the movie, it was like Freddie was the only one doing drugs and having wild sex and let me tell you all I seriously doubt that. 

It's easy to overlook him, since we're talking about Queen, but Alan Leech is amazing in his disgusting role. Oh, how much I wanted to punch him in the face, what a vile, ugly person. 

 

The first bit is one of the things that put me off. Aside from insinuating Roger was screwing around in his single days, apparently they were choir boys while being a rock band in the 70's? 

Another bit of criticism was compressing so much on the day of Live Aid. I don't mind moving things around to make the story flow and honestly don't know enough about specific dates to raise a stink, but Freddie found Jim, took him home to meet his parents and then his band mates and Mary, all on this momentous day? I probably wouldn't have reacted at all if only they put up the date title card after Freddie located Jim. Just have them reconnect at an unspecified time during the preparations for Live Aid, like Freddie's diagnosis. 

As for Allen Leech's part, those sequences felt like watching Misery. Yeesh, what a scary psycho. 

On 06. 11. 2018. at 5:14 AM, thuganomics85 said:

While it was obviously Freddie's story first, I did like that they at least showed some of the other band members contributions, like how Brian was the one who came up with the "stomp and clap" bit for "We Will Rock You", or how Deacon was the brainchild behind "Another One Bites The Dust."

The Live Aid concert was definitely the best scene by a country mile.

 

The Another Bites The Dust scene was terrific. I liked We Will Rock you as well, but I think that may have been because of Gwyllim Lee's likeability. It was bothering me throughout the movie how I knew him and it took googling him to figure out it was from Midsomer Murders. Never would have figured it out on my own. 

And the camera work at Live Aid was simply breathtaking. 

ETA: This is from a Daily Mail article linked upthread:

Quote

Far from being, as the film depicts him, a crusader who strove to change the world’s attitudes to HIV, a sort of Lady Di in leathers, Freddie kept his Aids diagnosis a secret from the public until the day before he died,

When was he depicted as a crusader in the movie? He literally only told the band and Beach, and then said he wanted to make music. 

Edited November 11, 2018 by bijoux

[truthaboutluv]

3 hours ago, bijoux said:

When was he depicted as a crusader in the movie? He literally only told the band and Beach, and then said he wanted to make music. 

That quote is literally the antithesis of what happened in the film. After telling the band members he has AIDS, Freddie literally says he's telling no one else and "I don't want to be their poster boy for AIDS, their cautionary tale" and then he stresses that he just wants to spend his remaining time doing what he was born to do, make music and be a performer.

So I have no clue what film that Daily Mail writer saw. I guess along with being a racist as hell publication, they don't actually bother doing any actual research. Seems this person reviewed a film they didn't watch.

Edited November 11, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[Ms Blue Jay]

18 hours ago, bijoux said:

ETA: This is from a Daily Mail article linked upthread:

When was he depicted as a crusader in the movie? He literally only told the band and Beach, and then said he wanted to make music. 

You're exactly right.

[Hanahope]

Saw it today and loved it.  True, it didn’t go much into the other members lives, but that’s not too surprising since most want to know about Freddy. 

i enjoyed learning a bit more history of the band and Freddy.  And of course the music was great.

i had to laugh that MTV wouldn’t play their Break Free video because they were in drag.  Oh so ‘moral’ MTV was back then.

i got enough of an idea of Freddy’s sex and party life with how they filmed the scenes.  Not everything has to be spelled out, implication can work just as well.

Rami was just amazing.

[27bored]

I have to echo the sentiments of someone above: I don't know if this is a "good movie" or not. I can't say it was bad, but there were several glaring things wrong with it that make me wish there was another attempt made in a few years at the same story.

I have to say, Rami did great as Freddie Mercury. That was a career-defining job and I hope he cleans up during awards season (including the Best Actor Oscar nod he's sure to get). I have to admit I've been haunted by Rami's acting since I saw him play a terrorist on the short-lived FX war drama Over There 13 years ago. He has these big, expressive eyes that kind of haunt you. There were several moments, especially during a particularly dramatic scene towards the end, where I almost teared up with right along with him. And props to him for bringing Freddie Mercury back to life. There were several moments where I forgot I was watching a movie about Queen, and though I was just watching archival footage.

All that said, it wasn't a perfect performance. One, I probably spent 2/3 Rami's screen time staring at the prosthetic teeth than paying attention to his performance. I kind of wish they would've him more time to adjust to those things because he kept working his mouth and jaw in reaction to them and it kind of took me out of the film a little bit. I mean, it was part of the Freddie Mercury aesthetic, so I can't complain too much, but it was still a little too distracting. The other thing is, and someone mentioned Rami's ass compared to Freddie's, I do have to agree on a more general note. Freddie was a fairly large man -- he was around 6'2 and pretty solid -- while Rami is 5'9 and slight. He probably could've used a few more weeks in the gym to enhance the overall look. But that's a minor point.

The rest of the cast and the movie wasn't as affecting...to an extent because it seems like they didn't quite know which story they wanted to tell: the story of Queen, or the Freddie Mercury's life story.

I know there have been criticisms of them "straightwashing" Freddie's story and I think that's probably true and kind of bullshit at the same time. I'm pretty sure I've read that, IRL, Freddie was a fairly reserved man, and his stage persona was just that. But the movie made it seem like he was this prancing, flamboyant Liberace-esque figure the whole time. Not sure I buy that. The movie glossed over him getting into drugs -- it was just something one of his bandmates mentioned before a session one day when the flaky, mercurial Mercury (pun intended and not intended) was being bitchy and flaky for no reason. I was like, "oh, this is him on drugs? Uh, okay."

Like someone said above, the movie acted like Freddie wanting to go solo was this giant betrayal to the band when they all had solo projects. I'd also mention them acting like burnout from recording albums then extensive touring was evidence of his diva mentality and/or being influenced by outside sources when that's a real thing many bands experience. It was kind of weird that the rest of the band didn't really have any flaws, especially Brian May. I was sitting there like, "so while Freddie was having these lavish parties, when you three turned 27 you just married your high school sweetheart and bought a small house in your old neighborhood? Yeah, sure."

The music was good, but I have to concur that We Are The Champions, We Will Rock You, and Another One Bites the Dust all blow ass. The latter is a shitty song built on a sick bass line, but that's it.

Edited November 12, 2018 by 27bored

[bijoux]

Rami actually looked really jack up at Live Aid. At least that’s where I noticed it. Noticeably more so than Freddie.

As for drugs, there was a huge amount of cocaine on some table near Freddie at one point, indicating it was actually leftovers. Maybe there were other scenes like that as well. 

I’m starting to think the sanitization of the others was due to May and Taylor being producers in the film. But I think they actually shot themsleves in the foot a by appearing all, aw, shucks, ma’am, we’re just here to make some controversial music and then we go home to our old ladies. It’s ridiculously funny when you watch it.

[bijoux]

1 hour ago, 27bored said:

The music was good, but I have to concur that We Are The Champions, We Will Rock You, and Another One Bites the Dust all blow ass. The latter is a shitty song built on a sick bass line, but that's it.

They’re no I’m in Love with My Car, that’s for sure. ? I wish there were more scenes like that in the movie. So, Roger, what’s the sexiest part of your car? Not the coffee maker! 

[Robert Lynch]

5 hours ago, bijoux said:

Rami actually looked really jack up at Live Aid. At least that’s where I noticed it. Noticeably more so than Freddie.

As for drugs, there was a huge amount of cocaine on some table near Freddie at one point, indicating it was actually leftovers. Maybe there were other scenes like that as well. 

I’m starting to think the sanitization of the others was due to May and Taylor being producers in the film. But I think they actually shot themsleves in the foot a by appearing all, aw, shucks, ma’am, we’re just here to make some controversial music and then we go home to our old ladies. It’s ridiculously funny when you watch it.

And Sacha Cohen had that role, but Brian May and others did not like his take Freddie. Cohen wanted the wild sex, drugs, and rock n' roll side of Mercury. That's the reason why Rami got the part. Rami is a huge fan of Queen and he respected Freddie as to who he was. 

Edited November 12, 2018 by Robert Lynch

[truthaboutluv]

7 hours ago, bijoux said:

I’m starting to think the sanitization of the others was due to May and Taylor being producers in the film. But I think they actually shot themsleves in the foot a by appearing all, aw, shucks, ma’am, we’re just here to make some controversial music and then we go home to our old ladies. It’s ridiculously funny when you watch it.

Maybe it's me but I didn't get the impression that the movie was suggesting that the other band members were these complete choir boys while Freddie alone did drugs and had his wild behavior. The fact is there was only so much the film could focus on and the focus was obviously more so on Freddie's journey and relationship with his band members. I think the fact that the for the most part the guys seemed unfazed by Freddie's drug use suggests that it wasn't something so scandalous to them. They only expressed concern when it seemed like he was spiraling. As others mentioned, there were constant references to Deacon's man whoring ways. And in fact, in the early parts of the film, it almost came across like he had a far wilder sex life than Freddie who was at that point seemingly committed to Mary. 

[Hanahope]

8 hours ago, bijoux said:

I’m starting to think the sanitization of the others was due to May and Taylor being producers in the film. But I think they actually shot themsleves in the foot a by appearing all, aw, shucks, ma’am, we’re just here to make some controversial music and then we go home to our old ladies. It’s ridiculously funny when you watch it.

 

2 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

nd Sacha Cohen had that role, but Brian May and others did not like his take Freddie. Cohen wanted the wild sex, drugs, and rock n' roll side of Mercury. That's the reason why Rami got the part. Rami is a huge fan of Queen and he respected Freddie as to who he was. 

I was reading on IMDB aftewards that Cohen got the boot because 'his take' and the initial script writers, did focus almost exclusively on Freddy and his wild life and didn't include much of anything about the rest of the band's lives.  So it seemed a bit odd that even once Malek took over the roll, the movie still had very very little about the rest of the band members.  You never saw them without Freddy, except for a couple of very brief moments.  Virtually no mention of their wives (though IMDB reported that May's first wife was cut out of the movie because she apparently wasn't happy with her portrayal).

Also, reportedly, May wanted a bit more about Queen after Freddy, but I guess once the movie got to be near 2.5 hours, there really wasn't much time for that.

[truthaboutluv]

1 hour ago, Hanahope said:

I was reading on IMDB aftewards that Cohen got the boot because 'his take' and the initial script writers, did focus almost exclusively on Freddy and his wild life and didn't include much of anything about the rest of the band's lives.  So it seemed a bit odd that even once Malek took over the roll, the movie still had very very little about the rest of the band members.  You never saw them without Freddy, except for a couple of very brief moments. 

From the way Brian May and Roger Taylor have told it, it wasn't that Sacha wanted to focus on Freddie and little about the band that was the issue. It's that he wanted that focus on Freddie to be all sex, drugs and rock and roll. Like that's all Freddie was. Roger flat out said in an interview that they felt he didn't get and take seriously who Freddie was. And after seeing Sacha's interview on Howard Stern's show where he talked about walking away from the part, I believe the band members. And I for one am beyond thrilled that that mess did not end up happening. 

[Cirien]

5 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Maybe it's me but I didn't get the impression that the movie was suggesting that the other band members were these complete choir boys while Freddie alone did drugs and had his wild behavior. The fact is there was only so much the film could focus on and the focus was obviously more so on Freddie's journey and relationship with his band members. I think the fact that the for the most part the guys seemed unfazed by Freddie's drug use suggests that it wasn't something so scandalous to them. They only expressed concern when it seemed like he was spiraling. As others mentioned, there were constant references to Deacon's man whoring ways. And in fact, in the early parts of the film, it almost came across like he had a far wilder sex life than Freddie who was at that point seemingly committed to Mary. 

I think you mean Roger Taylor? There were constant references to his man whoring ways with the threesome ref at the start of the film, his hitting on Freddie sister and then the reference at the party where Freddie mentions Roger's infidelity in front of Veronique. So yeah it was there. But as this was a Freddie - then - Queen film it makes sense it would focus more on Freddie. 

[truthaboutluv]

Just now, Cirien said:

I think you mean Roger Taylor?

Yes, you're right.

[Browncoat]

If Sacha Baron Cohen had not gotten the boot, I would never have even bothered to see the film.  He was wrongly cast in "Sweeney Todd", and would have been even more wrongly cast as Freddie Mercury.

[bijoux]

4 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

From the way Brian May and Roger Taylor have told it, it wasn't that Sacha wanted to focus on Freddie and little about the band that was the issue. It's that he wanted that focus on Freddie to be all sex, drugs and rock and roll. Like that's all Freddie was. Roger flat out said in an interview that they felt he didn't get and take seriously who Freddie was. And after seeing Sacha's interview on Howard Stern's show where he talked about walking away from the part, I believe the band members. And I for one am beyond thrilled that that mess did not end up happening. 

It would have been a very different film than this one, but I don’t think it automatically would have been a bad one. Now, if someone managed to combine the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll aspect with Freddie’s quieter and shier side, that could be an amazing movie. One side doesn’t negate the other.

[truthaboutluv]

Just now, bijoux said:

It would have been a very different film than this one, but I don’t think it automatically would have been a bad one. Now, if someone managed to combine the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll aspect with Freddie’s quieter and shier side, that could be an amazing movie. One side doesn’t negate the other.

Didn't say it did. But based on what's been said by the band members and hearing Sacha talk about Freddie, the point is there didn't seem to be an interest from him in Freddie's shyer and quieter side. And I believe that's what Roger and Brian are referring to in saying they didn't feel like he took the role seriously. Remember much of Sacha's work is over the top parody/caricature. Yes he's very intelligent and there is social commentary in his work. But it's often done in a highly exaggerated way.

And it sounded like he wanted something that would shock, maybe even offend rather than telling a poignant story about this legendary performer. Which is what Rami did. Rami brought the over the top and ridiculous that Freddie was at times, with his darlings and diva behavior but he also captured the soft and quiet moments. And it it these very important soft and quiet moments that called for a real actor for the film. 

Edited November 12, 2018 by truthaboutluv

[bijoux]

I’m going to take your word for it, since I didn’t see anything of this.

Has anyone read any Queen biographies? My library has a copy of Peter Hince’s Queen Unseen. The Amazon reviews are very good. I already put Hungarian Rhapsody on hold.

[methodwriter85]

17 hours ago, Hanahope said:

i had to laugh that MTV wouldn’t play their Break Free video because they were in drag.  Oh so ‘moral’ MTV was back then.

I thought that was weird because Van Halen's "Pretty Woman" cover has David Lee Roth in drag and of course, Boy George exploded on the scene in 1982-1983, BEFORE that video came out.

[Hanahope]

3 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

I thought that was weird because Van Halen's "Pretty Woman" cover has David Lee Roth in drag and of course, Boy George exploded on the scene in 1982-1983, BEFORE that video came out.

I'll have to check out Pretty Woman, I don't remember.  As for Boy George, he was closer to ambiguous with make-up than outright drag, which Freddy definitely was in Break Free (fake boobs and all).

I read that the Break Free video was actually a parody of a British sitcom, which wasn't played in the US, so of course, americans wouldn't get the joke.

I would imagine that MTV knew absolutely DLR wasn't gay, whereas there were provable rumours Freddy was and that was still too controversial at the time to see on TV.

Edited November 12, 2018 by Hanahope

[bijoux]

It was actually a parody of Coronation Street, a British soap opera.

[Robert Lynch]

After this biopic, I think a Prince biopic would be awesome. I just don't know who could play him. Prince always had a distinct look. His former lovers, eccentric behavior, issues with his music being downloaded, and all the rest. He was a very talented, but difficult man to work with. Worked nonstop hours throughout his whole life.

[Morrigan2575]

2 hours ago, Robert Lynch said:

After this biopic, I think a Prince biopic would be awesome. I just don't know who could play him. Prince always had a distinct look. His former lovers, eccentric behavior, issues with his music being downloaded, and all the rest. He was a very talented, but difficult man to work with. Worked nonstop hours throughout his whole life.

Dave Chappelle??

[Robert Lynch]

4 hours ago, Morrigan2575 said:

Dave Chappelle??

Phil Lamarr? Does awesome voice impressions.

[27bored]

On 11/11/2018 at 11:01 PM, Hanahope said:

i had to laugh that MTV wouldn’t play their Break Free video because they were in drag.  Oh so ‘moral’ MTV was back then.

Maybe it's because I'm older, but I can kind of see why they didn't want to play that video. I think artists have an idea in their head about how something is going to be received, and sometimes they get tired of playing the label game that they start semi-trolling The Suits and their fans. I don't find the video offensive -- but it's 2018, so who does? -- but I think the point was probably more so, "yeah, we've got ratings/jobs to think about..." rather than them Not Getting It.

On 11/12/2018 at 8:30 AM, truthaboutluv said:

Maybe it's me but I didn't get the impression that the movie was suggesting that the other band members were these complete choir boys while Freddie alone did drugs and had his wild behavior. The fact is there was only so much the film could focus on and the focus was obviously more so on Freddie's journey and relationship with his band members. I think the fact that the for the most part the guys seemed unfazed by Freddie's drug use suggests that it wasn't something so scandalous to them. They only expressed concern when it seemed like he was spiraling. As others mentioned, there were constant references to Deacon's man whoring ways. And in fact, in the early parts of the film, it almost came across like he had a far wilder sex life than Freddie who was at that point seemingly committed to Mary. 

Reflecting back on the film, and maybe it's just me, but it seems like the interaction between the rest of the band and Freddie was always a little...standoffish. They always seemed a little bewildered by him. That might be where some of the presumption that they were just regular dudes making music while Freddie was the crazy one. And if I recall, we never really saw the rest of the band partying, using drugs, or hooking up with groupies. The one party we saw them at was Freddie's house party where they all were sitting around looking like Mormons at a drag show.

On 11/12/2018 at 3:33 PM, bijoux said:

It would have been a very different film than this one, but I don’t think it automatically would have been a bad one. Now, if someone managed to combine the sex, drugs and rock’n’roll aspect with Freddie’s quieter and shier side, that could be an amazing movie. One side doesn’t negate the other.

I agree.

[tennisgurl]

The main thing that I can get about the mixed reception is that the films pacing was a bit off. There were times when I felt like I was getting the cliftnotes of Queen, and not the whole story, especially around the middle with all of the time jumps, and that there was a lot of stuff happening off screen that I wanted to see. But, you can only show so much in one movie. 

However, that didnt at all hurt my enjoyment of the movie. I thought it was wonderful, and its probably not just my love of Queen making me say that. It felt like a rush, a full experience, with tons of music and style and clear passion for the films subjects, and the music that they made. And while the star was clearly Freddie, I do appreciate that we got quite a bit of the rest of the band too, and it showed that they were also very talented guys in their own right, who wrote amazing songs and were just as much a part of Queen as Freddie was. They weren't just Freddie's backup band, even if they weren't as much the natural "the star of every room I walk in" types that Freddie was. The whole movie really felt like what I imagine a Queen concert was like (I am way too young to have ever seen them live!), as much as thats possible while not live, and I left ready to blast Somebody to Love in my car and headband to Bohemian Rhapsody, and I think thats the kind of biopic that Freddie would have wanted. 

Rami really was amazing, and there were times, especially near the end, when it really was like looking at Freddie via Live Aid. He had the charisma and drama and the attitude, but he also seemed so terribly lonely so often, like some of his big personality was there to fill up the holes in his life. I guess the movie could have gone more into the sex and drugs and rock and roll stuff that Freddie got into but its not like they ignored it, and I dont mind that they didnt focus on it. Reading some of the reviews, it sounds like they really expected more crazy drug meltdowns and screaming and Behind The Music style groupie banging and such, and, honestly, I didnt need all of that. I thought that it was cool that they mostly focused on the musical process and the song writing, which is clearly what the band was most passionate about. I also side eye the criticism that it downplayed Freddie's sexuality because it focused so much on his relationship with Mary. Mary was, by all accounts that I have found, the great love of his life, even if it didnt end up being romantic in nature. He was the godfather to her child, she was with him until the very end, and he left his mansion to her in his will. They loved each other, and she was a huge part of his life, and ignoring that would have been a huge hole in any biography about him. Its not like they ignore his relationships with men (he clearly ends up with his future partner, who will be with him until his life ends) or show tons of heterosexual sex and no gay relationships, as there really wasn't much explicit sex at all, and while I would have liked to explore more of that side of him, like I said, we only have so much time in one movie. 

One of the other lessons in the movie is that, while your friends arent always right about not liking your boyfriend/girlfriend...sometimes if all your friends hate the person your sleeping with, they might have a point. Paul was a real parasite, wasn't he? Not only was he clearly a liar and a manipulator, a lot of their scenes around the middle came off as a really depressing movie about emotional abuse in relationships. Villainy in deed. 

I also thought they handled Freddie's death of AIDS really well. I feel like if they went super hard on the multiple lovers and sex parties, followed by Freddie dying slowly and painfully of AIDS, it could have felt rather exploitative. It was there, and they were open about what a tragic horrible thing it was (Freddie telling the band, and them trying to hold back tears, and Freddie's interaction in the hall with the young AIDS patient both just about killed me) but it was still about the music, and who Freddie was beyond an AIDS victim and ended with triumph. Freddie in real life was very private about the whole thing, and even in the movie, said he didnt want to be the AIDS poster boy or a cautionary tale, he wanted to be Freddie, and put on a show. The show must go on and all that. 

There is also the fact that, from most of what I've heard, Queen were pretty drama dry by the standards of 70s era rock bands. Yeah, they certainly had their stuff, but by the end of their run, they were, with the tragic exception of Freddie, still alive and healthy, and actually still mostly got along, without any huge meltdowns or massive scandals. I mean, by the standards of the time, anyways. Which is pretty impressive on its own, as so many bands of that time basically imploded in a mess of cocaine, infighting, and egos, to the point which they can hardly stand to be in the same room for their Behind The Music special without all their lawyers standing in the background, due to the pending lawsuits.  

I find it hilarious that the movie is getting mixed reviews, considering the bad reviews that Queen themselves got back in the day. I loved it non the less.