Malcom & Marie film review

This film is just in big argument. And to pay homage to this, I’ll argue with anyone that says this is a bad film.

Malcom & Marie (please don’t put the word and), will undoubtedly be a movie that solidifies its place in the history books. Not necessarily because of its great quality, but because of what the crew and cast managed to create during a global pandemic, on a budget of a mere £2.5 million. The project was the first Hollywood feature to be entirely written, financed, and produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, with filming taking place in secret in June and July 2020.

However, Malcom & Marie is a beautiful, aggressive, prolonged mess. Tweaks, lack of experience, and imperfections litter this final edition and while it’s still amazing to see these two brilliant actors collide to enhance almost every scene of this picture, this films intentions weren’t always perfectly fulfilled.

Given the rapid speed, and extraordinary circumstances under which the film was written and produced, it would be quite harsh to be harsh on this film. This film is truly great considering, and shows the capability of what the studios are able to accomplish under the restrictions. Yet in my personal situation, I can’t help but question this picture and imagine how much better it could be if it was given a few extra weeks, or months dedicated to the development of the script.

Parts of this films dialogue are truly incredible, the taunting remarks, spats, and relatability, combined with the breathtaking delivery is what makes this film as hurtful as it is. But this is more down the central relationship between the two leads. A relationship so compelling, that during times of lack of context it’s often easy to get long in their beauty and strong chemistry, but this is truly over shadowed at times of suffering and pain.

Early on Levinson makes it clear where his intentions for this film lie. Having worked with Zendaya prior, he knows exactly how to direct her and draw her best ability on the screen, showcasing her flawless talent. In recent times she may have been labelled as the young Disney star, but it’s clear she has set a direct vendetta against losing this title. Instead she’s paving her way forward, grappling with much bolder, more ambitious roles and with that, she absolutely demolishes any previous type casts of her with this performance.

Her character, Marie, is outstanding from start to finish as you watch her tease, care for, and challenge Malcom at any given opportunity over his varied poor decisions. Leaving in my opinion what can only be described as a undeniable lingering impact on the viewer, questioning and creating doubt once the film ends.

In addition to the standard of Zendaya, John David Washington delivers one of his best performances to date. His character Malcolm, an obsessive director focussed on nothing but the concept of his own success. Washington is truly brilliant, as he scoffs at the overused, unoriginal attributes of authenticity in film with his smug superiority complex. An overall aura of a cocksure, “emotional terrorist”, speaking volumes on how one often looks at their own creation. His character, works due to the brilliance Washington possesses, however at certain moments his apparent lack of experience does show. He puts forth even the simple dialogue choices, creating numerous fantastic monologues, however is constantly in the shadow of Zendaya’s ability.

Despite this, the problem I have with this picture isn’t that the script could have done with more tlc, nor that the bold music often outshone many of the moments that followed, it’s that the pattern of fight and make up, fight and make up, left a lingering predictability. This isn’t to say that the film didn’t work, or that I wasn’t a huge fan of its technique and story telling ability. Just that it got to the point where as the calmness settled, I was waiting for that one piece of dialogue to spank yet another argument, or heart wrenching confession that moved the plot on.

Overall, I think this was a brilliant watch. A number of flaws, all outshone by near enough flawless acting. If this is a spark of the quality this years movies will hold, then I am very much looking forward to the rest of 2021.

4* 8.5/10

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Letterbox – James Stocks