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had by then all blurred together like a choir of falsetto Galileos.
Its nothing but serviceable fluff, they said.
Not because Im a huge Queen fan.
I dont know why.
I cant get enough.
Its possible that Ive just been conditioned this way.
After all, mediocre seems to be the default when it comes to movies about musicians.
Todd HaynessIm Not ThereandVelvet Goldmine(although these are less biopics than fever dreams).
I like and/or love all of those films.
Im not particularly proud of it, but this pleases my insecure little lizard brain.
(Althoughthat certainly hasnt stopped them from trying.)
And is there anything more watchable than a biopic of someone we already know?
I love the way their arc unfolds!
Sure, there are the onstage highs and the occasional bursts of offstage glamour.
But mostly its just overdubs and cigarette breaks, and arguing over where to eat lunch.
The mediocre music biopic, however, cuts everything down to a manageable, melodramatic size.
It preserves the illusion.
(If your only knowledge of Queen comes throughWaynes World, thenBohemian Rhapsodyhas you covered.)
Its the in-between moments, Maleks Mercury sighs at one point.
I find them intolerable.
The film agrees, speeding through those valleys like its fast-forwarding a cassette of QueensGreatest Hits.
Winnowing it down even further, I would suggest that the musician biopic has it the hardest.
Maleks phenomenal, but hes no Freddie Mercury.
Thats not even him singing!
And if youre anything like me, you kind of love it for that.
