MALCOLM & MARIE REVIEW

 *MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*

At first, a film that focuses on a couple after they return home from a premise doesn’t sound like it could be anything other than a boring watch. However, with strong performances from John David Washington and Zendaya, Malcolm & Marie is a compelling drama.

When filmmaker Malcolm (Washington) and his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya) return home from a movie premiere and await his film's critical response, the evening takes a turn as revelations about their relationships begin to surface, testing the couple's love.

The strengths of Malcolm & Marie lie in the fascinating performances delivered by Washington and Zendaya. Although the film doesn’t offer much other than an insight into a couple’s relationship, both Washington and Zendaya are talented and interesting enough to keep a viewer’s attention for the majority of the 106 minute runtime. They are convincing as the couple who, undoubtedly, love one another but have issues that they struggle to overcome. As Malcolm, Washington effectively captures his character’s charm and passion about the film he’s just made. Shortly after returning home from the premiere of his film, Malcolm becomes anxious about the first reactions. An amusing scene sees him nervously running in and out of rooms as he tries to find his wallet and phone, which is on the table. Zendaya delivers her most impressive dramatic performance yet as the feisty Marie who is less than impressed that Malcolm forgot to thank her at the premiere.

When celebrity couples pose on the red carpet, it’s easy to assume that their life is perfect because they earn a lot of money and live in a luxurious home. However, Malcolm & Marie proves that their lives are far from perfect and that they have issues like any other couple. Over the course of the 106 minute runtime, Malcolm and Marie argue before making up and embracing one other before arguing once more. Although this doesn’t exactly sound like this could make for an enjoyable watch, there’s hardly a dull moment to be found in Malcolm & Marie. Because the entire film focuses on Malcolm and Marie and their relationships, there are no distracting supporting characters. I think this was a good decision as it wouldn’t make any sense for other characters to appear as the film focuses on the couple’s private life. Although the characters aren’t the easiest to like, their relationship and chemistry is fascinating to watch. One minute, they’re arguing and shouting and the next, they’re passionately making out. Their relationship feels authentic and I can imagine a lot of couples behave like this. Their body language expresses more than their words could say. Throughout the film, Malcolm and Marie move to different rooms in their extravagant home, including the kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, the camera constantly following their every move. 

Malcolm & Marie is written and directed by Sam Levinson. His script frequently takes digs at critics who will probably be less than amused. However, I can understand Levinson’s frustrations with critics. After working hard on a film, I can imagine getting a negative response from a large group of people can be frustrating as their thoughts can lead to a film disappointing at the box office. There have been a lot of times where I haven’t gone to see a film as it’s received a poor reception when, instead, I should just watch the film and make my own opinion. While critics can help stop a viewer from watching a genuinely bad film, they can also prevent someone from watching a film they might actually enjoy. It’s not surprising that, following its recent release on the streaming site, Netflix, 61% of 109 critics gave Malcolm & Marie a positive review on the review aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes. Although I can understand why critics are less than impressed with what Levinson has created, their response means than many people will avoid watching Malcolm & Marie when it’s actually a well-acted drama.  

Following the outbreak of COVID-19 last year, many film productions were cancelled. However, what’s most impressive about Malcolm & Marie is that it was filmed in June and July last year. The film followed local COVID-19 safety protocols, including the entire cast and crew being quarantined during shooting, as well as two weeks before and after shooting, daily temperature checks, and increased sanitation measures. When watching Malcolm & Marie, it’s quite hard to believe that it was filmed during a time of fear and uncertainty as it focuses entirely on the complex relationship between the two titular characters. Although it’s far from enjoyable or an easy watch, Malcolm & Marie makes for good form of escapism.

7/10