Malcolm & Marie - Review

 

Whoever came up with the phrase “acquired taste” must have had Malcolm & Marie in mind when they coined it. Because I have no idea if you, dear reader, are going to like this film at all. I’m not even 100% sure if I liked it or not. I mean, I certainly found it intriguing, but as to whether or not I would recommend it, that’s a bit of a tough answer.

 

Anyway, the film in question deals with John David Washington and Zendaya as the titular Malcolm and Marie, respectively. The romantic couple return home one night after the successfully premiere of Malcolm’s new film, and afterwards engage in a lengthy argument about their relationship, insecurities, etc. that gets progressively uncomfortable and emotionally violent the more they talk.

 

And that’s it. An hour and 46 minutes of Washington and Zendaya act their asses off (Zendaya being the real standout) arguing with one another – sometimes monologuing about the film industry - around a nice house in a rural area, photographed on gorgeous black-and-white 35 mm film by Marcell Rev, backed up by a great jazz score by British singer-songwriter Labrinth.

 

Now, on paper, that sounds like a real winner. A two-hander set entirely in one location, carried only by the subject matter and the strength of the two actors’ performances? Plenty of great movies have come from that kind of setup (The Lighthouse being a prime example). And while, like I said, Washington and Zendaya give great performances, I don’t feel like Malcolm & Marie really gets to the level of great.

 

Part of the reason is that it feels a little repetitive. There’s only so many times I can watch Washington and Zendaya blow up, argue at each other, go for the jugular, try to reconcile, and then suddenly start the whole process over again before I check the time and go “how long is this movie?” And it’s tough to say that because again, the two actors are acting their best, but I couldn’t help but feel like Malcolm & Marie was a great idea for a short film that got needlessly expanded into feature-length.

 

Also, there are a few times in the film where Washington as Malcolm indulges in monologues about the struggles of being a black filmmaker in Hollywood and how almost everything he makes is politicized because of that fact. And while I completely sympathize with what he’s saying (having thought some of the same things myself as a black creative), the monologues go on a little bit too long and get a little too insider baseball.

 

And yet, in spite of all those flaws, I still found myself on the edge of my seat the whole time, again, thanks entirely to the two leads.

 

And this is why I would call this film as something of an acquired taste. If you can tolerate repetitive, consecutive scenes of two people arguing back and forth at each other, then I would say watch this film. If not, I’d still say watch it to see the two leads go for broke, if for no other reason.