Failed Oscar Campaigns: "Bohemian Rhapsody" (2018)

Scene from Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)

As awards seasons pick up, so do the campaigns to make your film have the best chances at the Best Picture race. However, like a drunken stupor, sometimes these efforts come off as trying too hard and leave behind a trailer of ridiculous flamboyance. Join me on every other Saturday for a highlight of the failed campaigns that make this season as much about prestige as it does about train wrecks. Come for the Harvey Weinstein comments and stay for the history. It's going to be a fun time as I explore cinema's rich history of attempting to matter.

Review: "Bohemian Rhapsody" Turns Beautiful Art into Crass Commercialism

Scene from Bohemian Rhapsody

In the language of film, the Live Aid performance that ends the Freddie Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody should be a moment of triumph. Having built up through the struggles of a career blocked by underestimating record executives, the idea of performing before a crowd of billions and having it be considered one of the greatest stadium performances in history should feel like the greatest culmination of any music biopic in history. However, there's something absent. For as brilliant as the direction is during this 20 minute reenactment, for as entertaining as Rami Malek's version of Mercury is as a performer, it's shallow. The build-up is not there. The songs have no deeper meaning when Mercury sings "I thank you all" during "We Are the Champions." It's a film in love with the idea of Mercury more than the human, and the film suffers greatly for it. While it reaffirms the idea that Queen is one of rock's boldest bands, it does little to add new text to the conversation in any meaningful way.