{"id":18502,"date":"2022-06-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-06-30T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/?p=18502"},"modified":"2024-03-02T21:12:38","modified_gmt":"2024-03-03T05:12:38","slug":"review-mr-malcolms-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/review-mr-malcolms-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Mr. Malcolm\u2019s List<\/i>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Empire-waist dresses, an emphasis on decorum, and an all-consuming pursuit of marriage; each are hallmarks of a Jane Austen adaptation \u2014 or a well-meaning knockoff. Even to casual Austen fans, the Regency-era romance Mr. Malcolm\u2019s List <\/em>will be almost instantly recognizable as an imitation of the great novelist\u2019s work,not that there\u2019s anything wrong with that. While this moderately charming period romcom is diverting enough, it lacks the wit and emotional heft of Austen even as it misses the heat of Bridgerton<\/em>. It leans more toward farce than most of Austen\u2019s work, feeling more like a romance novel in its predictable beats but missing the necessary swoon factor (outside of its lead actor, at least).  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A night at the opera upends the life of Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton), but just not in the way she intended. Julia attends the see-and-be-seen event with the season\u2019s most eligible bachelor, Mr. Jeremy Malcolm (\u1e62\u1ecdp\u1eb9\u0301 D\u00ecr\u00eds\u00f9), but he doesn\u2019t want a second date after their lackluster conversation. \u201cShe flutters her lashes far too much,\u201d complains Mr. Malcolm, sounding a bit like Jerry Seinfeld in his pickiness. He has a list of everything he desires in a wife, and Julia learns that she doesn\u2019t meet his qualifications. She enlists the help of her dear friend, Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto), to pretend to be his ideal woman, with plans of breaking his heart once he falls prey to their schemes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Selina begins to develop real feelings, complicating her frivolous friend\u2019s plot. Meanwhile, the handsome Captain Henry Ossory (Theo James) shows up to add to the drama and potential pairings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Bridgerton<\/em>, director Emma Holly Jones\u2019 debut film smartly eschews the traditional all-white casting that dominated this type of movie for decades, choosing instead to feature a diverse set of actors who are the movie\u2019s strength. Jones previously directed a short based on the story by Suzanne Allain (who adapts her own work for the screen here), and a number of the actors return. Pinto nicely plays the heroine, but she\u2019s overshadowed by much of the supporting cast. In a small part, Ashley Park\u2019s delightfully annoying Gertie Covington feels like one of those great Austen side characters who threaten to steal the film \u00e0 la Hugh Laurie\u2019s Mr. Palmer in 1995\u2019s Sense and Sensibility<\/em> or Miranda Hart\u2019s Miss Bates in 2020\u2019s Emma<\/em>. Oliver Jackson-Cohen is practically unrecognizable \u2014 and quite funny \u2014 as Lord Cassidy, Julia\u2019s layabout cousin and partner-in-crime. As Julia, Ashton is perfectly petulant, as grating as she should be in her unnecessary attempts at revenge. But it\u2019s D\u00ecr\u00eds\u00f9 who is the true standout in the Darcy-like role of Mr. Malcolm, alternating between cool reserve and warm vulnerability. Not enough people saw him in the unnerving horror film His House<\/em> \u2014 and not enough people will see him here \u2014 but he is absolutely a star and would be a great pick for the next James Bond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Unfortunately, outside of its attractive cast, Mr. Malcolm\u2019s List<\/em> doesn\u2019t distinguish itself visually either; Pam Downe\u2019s costumes are fine, but even the gowns in the requisite ball scene don\u2019t merit a second look. The costumes in a costume drama are meant to be part of the fun, but they\u2019re nothing special. The same goes for the locations and production design, which don\u2019t elicit the type of ogling that is customary for a film set in this era. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s unfair to expect Allain\u2019s screenplay to match the writing of one of the English language\u2019s most celebrated authors, but its shortcomings do help highlight Austen\u2019s wide-ranging talents. There are a some great characters in Mr. Malcolm\u2019s List<\/em>, but its heroine is by far its least interesting and well-developed. There\u2019s not much to Selina, other than her Fanny Price levels of goodness and Elizabeth Bennet\u2019s intelligence. The movie is only mildly interested in class, with a few throwaway insults toward Selina and envy of Mr. Malcolm\u2019s \u201c20,000 a year,\u201d and it doesn\u2019t seem to care much at all for larger commentary. It\u2019s occasionally witty, but it only inches toward being a comedy. Mr. Malcolm\u2019s List<\/em> doesn\u2019t even seem all that invested in the era\u2019s etiquette, which leads to some scenes that might have those well-versed in Austen and Bridgerton<\/em> wondering if it will lead to (gasp<\/em>) scandal, but it doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mr. Malcolm\u2019s List<\/em> isn\u2019t a bad film; it has its charms and will likely keep Regency fans sated until the next Austen adaptation, which is thankfully never too far away. This is a loving pastiche, but its attempts at imitation just demonstrate how much it pales in comparison to the original. However, just as the 1995 and 2005 versions of Pride and Prejudice <\/em>launched their respective Mr. Darcy\u2019s to larger fame, this movie\u2019s Mr. Malcolm will also attract more attention to the well-deserving D\u00ecr\u00eds\u00f9.\u00a0\"\"\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n

B-<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

“Mr. Malcolm’s List” is in theaters Friday. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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