"MR. MALCOLM'S LIST" (2022) Review
"MR. MALCOLM'S LIST" (2022) Review
I have a confession to make. Aside from the novels of LaVyrle Spencer, I have never been a consistent reader of romance novels. And the constant output of movies and television series set during the Regency Era seemed to be never-ending, ever since adaptations of Jane Austen novel had gained popularity years ago. But I could never avoid the opportunity of viewing a period piece in the theaters or on television and I found myself watching the 2022 movie, "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST".
Based on Suzanne Allain's 2009 novel, "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST" told the story of how a vicar's daughter named Selina Dalton helped Julia Thistlewaite, her former classmate and a wealthy debutante exact revenge on a suitor, who rejected her for failing a requirement on his list of qualifications for a bride. Set in 1818, the movie began with Julia being escorted to the opera by the Honorable Jeremy Malcolm, the wealthy younger brother of a peer. Unfortunately, Julia fails to impress him. Her failed efforts to impress Mr. Malcolm are mocked in the press, causing her great embarrassment. But when Julia learns about Mr. Malcolm's list of requirements for a wife, she becomes offended and decides to seek revenge against him. She invites Selina to join her for the London season and recruits the other woman in order to train and present the latter as the perfect potential bride . . . and set up Mr. Malcolm for humiliation in the long run.
Allain's novel caught the attention of filmmaker Emma Holly Jones after she had listened to a podcast reading of script, submitted through the website in 2015. She then brought on producer Laura Rister and Laura Lewis to co-produce a feature film adaptation. I never read Allain's novel, so I could not compare it to this film adaptation. As for the latter . . . well, I might as well get to my review.
For a good number of minutes I tried to think of something about "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST" that did not sit well with me. I really gave it my all. But my only complaint - so far - seemed to be the movie's score. I have always believed that a movie's score is one of the few elements that served as a backbone for a good movie or television production. I hate to say this, but I found Amelia Warner's score for the movie rather dull. Almost unmemorable. I believe the movie was lucky to rise above its mediocre score and be memorable in its own right. And yes . . . I have another complaint about "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST". The ending. I cannot deny that I found Selina Dalton and Jeremy Malcolm's resolution of the conflict romantic. But I believe the actors should be credited for this. I found the actual narrative - namely the latter jumping on his horse and racing after her departed carriage rather clichéd. I have or read it one too many times in other productions and novels. I wish Suzanne Allain, who also served as the movie's screenwriter, could have produced another setting for their resolution.
Otherwise, I really enjoyed "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST". In fact, it became one of my favorite movies released back in 2022. It is a pity that it never became a box office hit, because I believe it deserved to be one. At least for the summer season. Thanks to Allain's screenplay, the performances and Emma Holly Jones' direction, "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST" struck me as a witty, charming and surprisingly funny movie to watch. More importantly, I found it very original for a period piece set during the Regency Era. Have there been other movies or novels in which the protagonists initiate or participate in a major deception. One could easily exchange the early 19th century costumes and manners for those from the mid 20th century and "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST" could easily become a romantic comedy from that era.
More surprisingly, the movie did excellent job in conveying the pathos behind the comedic narrative. Although Julia Thistlewaite's social humiliation had been presented in comedic form early in the film, the latter eventually revealed just how traumatic and humiliated she had felt by society's reaction to Jeremy's rejection of her. The movie's second half also delved into the emotional drive that led Jeremy to create that ludicrous list and use it judge potential mates. This was conveyed in an interesting conversation between him and his mother, the Dowager Countess of Kilbourne.
The movie's production values struck me as very pleasing - elegant and colorful, yet not over-the-top. Ray Ball's production designs did an excellent job in conveying the movie's late Regency setting, especially during the London scenes. Tony Miller's photography beautifully reflected the movie's colorful, yet elegant visuals. He also did a marvelous job in exploiting the movie's Irish locations. I especially enjoyed Pam Downe's elegant costumes that properly reflected the movie's setting and characters, as shown in the images below:
The color and elegance of Ms. Downe's costume designs seemed well reflected in the costume ball sequence in the movie's second half.
No amount of witty dialogue, refined manners or beautiful scenery can make a movie without a decent cast. Thankfully for "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST", it possessed a first-rate cast who gave excellent performances. The movie featured charming, yet funny performances from the likes of Divian Ladwa and Sianad Gregory as Julia Thistlewaite's servants, Paul Tylak and Dawn Bradfield as Selina Dalton's parents; Naoko Mori as Julia's charming mother; along with Sophie Vavasseur and Danielle Ryan, who portrayed socialites with eyes on Mr. Malcolm and his fortune. Ashley Park was a hoot as Selina's gauche cousin, Gertie Covington. Oliver Jackson-Cohen was equally hilarious as Lord Cassidy, Julia's self-involved cousin whom she had dragged into her scheming. And Doña Croll gave a cool, yet witty performance as Mr. Malcolm's wise and observant mother, the Countess of Kilbourne.
Theo James portrayed Captain Henry Ossery, the relative of Selina's former employers and a potential suitor for Julia. He had the thankless task of portraying one of the least flawed characters in this story. But Captain Ossery managed to remain interesting, thanks to James' witty performance. However, my vote for the most interesting character would probably be Julia Thistlewaite, the wealthy socialite whose ego had taken a bruising from Mr. Malcolm's disinterest in her. Thanks to Zawe Ashton's sharp and humorous performance, Julia proved to be rather likeable and almost relatable. The second most interesting character in this story proved to be the leading male character, Mr. Jeremy Malcolm. Sope Dirisu did an excellent job of projecting Mr. Malcolm's conflicting personality traits - his gentlemanly behavior, reserve, arrogance and penchant for romantic passion. Like Ashton, Dirisu had to walk a tightrope in projecting Mr. Malcolm's many traits and remain likeable, at the same time. Superficially, Freida Pinto seemed to have an easy time portraying the likeable and intelligent Selina Dalton. But she also did an excellent job in delving into Selina's distaste for arranged marriages and being torn between her desire to participate in Julia's questionable scheme and her attraction toward Mr. Malcolm.
It seemed a pity that "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST" was not a box office hit. I never saw it in the theaters. But if I must be honest, I have seen less than four movies in the theaters during the past four years or so. I do wish I had seen "MR. MALCOLM'S LIST" in a theater, because I enjoyed it very much, thanks to Suzanne Allain's screenplay, Emma Holly Jones' direction and an excellent cast led by Freida Pinto and Sope Dirisuu.