Bohemian Rhapsody

Last night I finally had the chance to see Bohemian Rhapsody and I absolutely loved it!  The movie begins when Farrokh Bulsara (Rami Malek), a college student of Indian descent who works as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport, goes to see Smile, a band he has been following.  After the show he introduces himself to guitarist Brian May (Gwilym Lee) and drummer Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) who tell him that their lead singer has just quit.  Farrokh joins the band, changes their name to Queen, changes his name to Freddie Mercury, and has the band record a demo.  The movie then chronicles Queen's rapid rise to fame, the creation of their epic song "Bohemian Rhapsody," tensions within the band, and their triumphant reunion performance at Live Aid.  The movie also explores his difficult relationship with his very traditional family who disapprove of him, his complicated relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton) who he considers to be the love of his life, his troubled relationship with his personal manager Paul Prenter (Allen Leech), his questioning of his sexuality, his loneliness, his promiscuity, his AIDS diagnosis, and, finally, his loving relationship with Jim Hutton (Aaron McCusker).  The story of redemption is very powerful and emotional but I was completely blown away by the staging of Queen's performances, especially the 21-minute Live Aid performance (which I remember distinctly).  It seems as if Rami Malek is actually channeling Freddie Mercury in these performances, from the distinctive strut across the stage to the twirling of the microphone stand to the dramatic poses.  Malek gives an absolutely incredible performance, which is already receiving some Oscar buzz, and I had goosebumps whenever he was on stage.  I love the music of Queen and it was fascinating for me to see how they experimented to get their distinctive sound, especially on "Bohemian Rhapsody."  One of my favorite moments in the movie is when an EMI executive, played by Mike Myers, refuses to release the song saying that teenage boys will never bang their heads to it in their cars.  This made me laugh out loud considering a certain scene in the movie Wayne's World where a character, played by Mike Myers, bangs his head to it in his car!  I've heard criticism that this movie doesn't accurately portray his sexuality but I think it is very clear.  It is just not portrayed in an overly salacious way.  I've also heard criticism that there are historical inaccuracies but I don’t think this detracts from the narrative at all.  This is not meant to be a documentary but, rather, a movie that entertains and captures the spirit of Freddie Mercury.  I think it succeeds in doing both and I highly recommend it!  I want to see it again!