Mr Malcolm’s List

Originally beginning life as a short film adapted from the novel of the same name, director Emma Holly Jones and the core cast return for a feature-length adaptation of period romance Mr Malcolm’s List. This version stars Zawe Ashton and Frieda Pinto as lifelong friends Julia and Selina, and sees the pair scheme to give the titular London bachelor (Sope Dirisu) a taste of his own medicine after Julia is humiliated to discover she doesn’t meet the criteria to be his perfect match. The plan is for Selina to pose as his ideal woman before rejecting him in a similar fashion. However, as the clichéd story dictates, the pair fall head-over-heels for each other, though the deceitful intentions hang heavy over Selina’s head.

Oliver Jackson-Cohen and Theo James round out the central cast as the meddling Lord Cassidy (complicit in the scheme) and a well-meaning captain who becomes taken by Julia. Prim and proper, this flick is a safe, familiar genre outing that offers nothing in the way of surprises or originality. From the opening scene, in which younger versions of the leads promise to find each other a husband, it’s obvious where the plot is going to go. The inclusion of the list does invite discussion of gender roles and expectations. Malcolm’s unrealistic expectations for a prospective partner likewise draw intriguing parallels to modern dating, though neither of these avenues are explored enough for the film to be anything more than a trivial costume drama.

Aside from the occasional quip and hilariously posh insult, the delivery and presentation are as uptight as the characters. The setting and costumes may be grandiose, but everything about the main players and romance is lifeless. Pinto and Dirisu do their best to bring a spark of romance to the script; at times they almost succeed, the obligatory ballroom dance they share being the closest this film comes to sentimental. Thanks to the predictable plot and listless presentation, however, their efforts are squandered.

Mr Malcolm’s List is a film we’ve seen countless times before. If the idea of the routine premise doesn’t already have viewers swooning, it’s unlikely they’ll find any pleasure in being acquainted with this loveless romance.

Andrew Murray

Mr Malcolm’s List is released nationwide on 26^th August 2022.

Watch the trailer for Mr Malcolm’s List here: