Mr. Malcolm’s List Review

With Mr. Malcolm’s List — a sexless Bridgerton meets a quirky Pride & Prejudice meets a sort of bizarro-How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days — director Emma Holly Jones’ looks to capitalize off the success of the former with a Regency-era rom-com. An ensemble piece with some endearing performances, Jones’ latest is charming and sweet enough to please its intended audience.

Miss. Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) is in — gasp — her fourth season and still unmarried but finds herself delighted when given attention by much sought-after bachelor, Mr. Jeremiah Malcolm (Sope Dìrísù). But after an evening spent at the opera, Mr. Malcolm loses interest, much to Julia’s public humiliation.

Julia’s cousin, Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) discovers that Mr. Malcolm’s rejection is based on her failure to meet his checklist of requirements for a wife. When Cassidy relays this information to Julia, she enlists her childhood friend Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto) to exact revenge on Mr. Malcolm’s demeaning arrogance.

The plan is clear: they will use Mr. Malcolm’s list to make Selina the perfect bride for him, and once he falls for her, she will reject him in the same manner he rejected Julia. But a chance meeting will introduce Selina to Mr. Malcolm without Julia’s intervention and soon they find themselves enrobed in a love affair complicated by deceit.

The film boasts an ensemble of British talent. As is usually the case in films like these, the two romantic leads are a tad boring. Selina and Mr. Malcolm are both one-dimensional in nature, wasting the talents of Pinto and Dìrísù who do the best they can with thin roles. Their dullness, though, makes room for Ashton and Jackson-Cohen’s characters and performances.

Ashton clearly delights in moving between shrill humour and unlikability. Julia is given the richest arc of all the characters and the actress serves her well in a solid dramatic and comedic performance. Jackson-Cohen (along with Divian Ladwa as a presumed footman) delivers a lot of the laughs in the film as the good-hearted bumbling cousin, and will surely be a crowd pleaser.

As a period film, Mr. Malcolm’s List doesn’t quite capture the vibrancy or fanfare we’ve come to associate with Regency-era films (something like Emma comes to mind). However, the differences in costume designs, particularly between Selina and Julia, is well-noted and provides a subtle nod to the class structure of the time.

Narratively-speaking, the film doesn’t provide us with anything new or shocking. The story plays out how one would expect, but it doesn’t make the film any less entertaining. For those who enjoy period pieces and/or romantic comedies, Mr. Malcolm’s List delivers on the touch-points that make the genre enjoyable to so many.

Mr. Malcolm’s List is out in theatres today, July 1.



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