We’re four misfits who don’t belong together, we’re playing for other misfits. They’re the outcasts right at the back of the room. We’re pretty sure they don’t belong either. We belong to them.  — Bohemian Rhapsody

I believe that back in May, I watched my first trailer for the Bohemian Rhapsody movie. And, I desperately wanted to watch it right away. I was so pumped up to watch the movie.   I honestly can not believe that there is anyone who dislikes Queen’s music. I know there are those who do. But the music is so infectious. They were meant to be evergreen ringworms.  If you are at a sporting event or club alike when you hear a Queen song come on, you get up and pump your fists up in the air and tap out a beat. It just happens.  When you sing “we will rock you” we mean it! We want to live it.  Thus, I was all too excited to see this movie.

I had mixed feelings about the movie once the credits rolled. After watching Bohemian Rhapsody I was left still not fully knowing what initially drove Freddie Mercury.   I have no idea how he came to understand his talents.   But I did leave knowing he was a great performer who had grand vision.  I left inspired dreaming of being a grand performer. And, I left the movie a little sad because of that.  I imagine that had he lived, him and Lady Gaga would be friends hanging with the little monsters. I imagined that he would have taken to social media in a very interesting manner.   As was noted in Bohemian Rhapsody “We have to get experimental“.

Freddie Mercury loved performing.  He was meant to be a performer. And that sense of being a performer bonds the viewer with Freddie Mercury as played by Rami Malek.  And wow was his a great performance.  Rami Malek may very well have to slug it out against Bradley Cooper for best actor but I think this year should be the year of the misfit. When you got to a concert these days, there are many performers who may just phone it in or act put upon by their fans. But as the movie noted, Queen was a band of outcasts (or rather misfits) playing for outcasts. I love when he notes in the movie  “We’ll speak in tongues if we want to.”  Because he knew the fans would be right there with them even if the critics of the day were not.

The movie was a bit tone deaf at times and the pacing was so hit and miss that you can tell that there were two directors. I don’t know why Brian Singer was absent from the set on several occasions leading to the cinematographer Thomas Newton Sigel  to step in to direct on some of the days while Singer was missing, but that disconnect is surely felt in the movie.  Which is sad that with such a great performance by Malek this film is not 100% solid. I will say this, the last 15 minutes of the film are pure exhilaration. I never watched Live Aid but have heard of the dynamic performances by U2, Elton John and George Michael. I heard that Queen had just killed it. But I have yet to see that performance. Watching Bohemian Rhapsody’s version of it just sent chills down my spine. He was a man hurting but who was bold and performed with everything he had.  I cannot imagine how good it must have felt for him to have had that moment or rather those moments of pure exhilaration.  Those moments can inspire us all- those who are meek but want to be bold; those who have an unshakeable drive; those of us who are dreamers fighting back the naysayers and those of us who just love the power of music.

Go ahead and be bold.