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Marley

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Marley

PG-13

Released Apr 20, 2012

2h 24m

Documentary

Music

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Popcornmeter

95%

Tomatometer

111 Reviews

90%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

The life story of musician, revolutionary and legend Bob Marley, from the early days to international superstardom. Features rare footage, performances and interviews.

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Critics Consensus

Kevin Macdonald's exhaustive, evenhanded portrait of Bob Marley offers electrifying concert footage and fascinating insights into reggae's greatest star.

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Radheyan Simonpillai

NOW Toronto

Marley aficionados will be astonished by the depth and breadth of the documentary, which portrays the musician known as Tuff Gong as both a fallible man and an untouchable legend.

Rated: 4/5

May 18, 2012

Full Review

Brad Wheeler

Globe and Mail

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

Rated: 3/4

May 18, 2012

Full Review

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.

Rated: 3/4

May 17, 2012

Full Review

Nicolás Delgadillo

Discussing Film

A wonderful, in-depth look at one of music's most important figures.

Rated: 3.5 / 5

Jun 25, 2021

Full Review

Jordan M. Smith

IONCINEMA.com

While not the most inventive or efficient bio-doc, Macdonald's feature serves as the most complete visual record of Marley's legacy, and for that alone it deserves a view or two.

Nov 19, 2020

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Michael Calleri

Niagara Gazette

When "Marley" was originally released, the rare concert footage and previously unheard music tracks were an exuberantly received revelation.

Aug 9, 2020

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Pete B

Bob Marley deserves an incredible documentary, but this one is just… meh. It plays it way too safe, barely touching on any of the controversy or complexity in his life. The pacing is so slow, and it kinda just turns into a greatest-hits recap instead of actually diving deep into who he was. Also, for a movie about one of the most charismatic musicians of all time, this thing is shockingly dull.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/25/25

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Jeffrey B

Really enjoyed this film and thought it was great bob’s family worked with the film crew on this movie

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/08/25

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Bruce E

Plot was too choppy for me and Jamaican dialogue was difficult for me 2 follow.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/20/24

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Peter A

This was a very well done documentary. It came to mind due to the new Bob Marley Movie getting such negative reviews, so I saw this instead. I am so glad I did. I have always loved Bob Marley's music, but this doc really helped me understand the meaning behind it, Jamaican history and Rastafarian culture. 91/100. I highly recommend this if you are looking to watch a good documentary.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/10/24

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Audience Member

This film was solid.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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Audience Member

A life worth documenting. A man of simple politics and simple messages and his rise and humility is well recounted here with access to an impressive cast of the people closest to him.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/28/23

Full Review

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Kevin Macdonald

Director

Bob Marley

Himself (archive footage)

Ziggy Marley

Self

Jimmy Cliff

Self

Cedella Marley

Self

Rita Marley

Self

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Synopsis

The life story of musician, revolutionary and legend Bob Marley, from the early days to international superstardom. Features rare footage, performances and interviews.

Director: Kevin Macdonald
Producer: Steve Bing, Charles Steel
Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Production Co: Shangri-La Entertainment, Tuff Gong Pictures, Cowboy Films
Rating: PG-13 (Some Violent Images|Drug Content|Thematic Elements)
Genre: Documentary, Music
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 20, 2012, Limited
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Feb 7, 2025
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 5, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.4M
Runtime: 2h 24m
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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