Film Critics Have A Problem With "Malcolm & Marie"

[just444]

it's one thing to have a ~mean/dumb movie critic~ character in your movie (we're used to it!) but it's another thing entirely to make a whole movie about how you got a bad review once and how that means nobody understands your art https://t.co/TzcYlsvQa3
- karen han (@karenyhan) January 22, 2021
while inital twitter reactions for the movie were very

Comments

[toxic_illusion]

From first viewing, it had a sort of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? vibe, which I can appreciate. But damn.

[syvlie0o0]

Nevermind projecting all his issues with authorship, authenticity and privilege onto said Black character. https://t.co/4ppvCS8U5h
- Radheyan Simonpillai (@JustSayRad) January 22, 2021

[la_petite_singe]

The way people think the modifier makes it not misogynistic ... hmm.

[scriptedending]

The whiplash of reading through the "Malcolm and Marie" twitter search... people are either "it's amazing, Zendaya's going for that Oscar!!" or "it's bad", with very few fine to neutral stances. But yeah, the critics I usually read were not fans, and judging by the trailer, the dialogue seems awkward.

[la_petite_singe]

I really like Zendaya, but let's not forget a lot of those comments are probably from teenage Euphoria stans who just praise anything she does, lol. Presumably all the same ones who didn't know what "upset" meant when her Emmy win was described as such and went "WE'RE NOT UPSET, WE'RE HAPPY ABOUT IT, DUH"

[scriptedending]

lol, oh for sure. but even excluding that group, I saw reviews like this

[Spoiler (click to open)]

The range between Zendaya in “Euphoria” and Zendaya in MALCOLM AND MARIE is off the charts. Holy smokes 🔥🔥
- Zack Sharf (@ZSharf) January 17, 2021

Zendaya and John David Washington bring powerful career-best performances in ‘MALCOLM & MARIE’, a intensely emotional story about the complexities of relationships.

Read our ★★★★ review. https://t.co/TK6Tvt3eRQ
- DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 22, 2021

#MalcolmAndMarie 🤯JDW & Zendaya are unfuckingbelievable & explode into the Oscar race. Levinson is on another level, his direction & brilliant fucking script, while flowery, is so honest & visceral. A powerful relationship drama & an evisceration of current online film discourse pic.twitter.com/udU3ICAZ5A
- Griffin Schiller (@griffschiller) January 22, 2021

MALCOLM & MARIE is the real deal. Best performances I’ve seen yet from @Zendaya and John David Washington.

Malcolm losing it over a paywall to read an article is the most relatable content I’ve seen in

[la_petite_singe]

lol Josh. ❤ Well, I'm interested in divisive things, but the 'meanie critic' thing is so especially cringe to me. I know quarantine makes us obsess over smaller things because we're just so bored, but come ON.

[lonesomes]

the dialogue in that trailer alone did not give me hope. i'll still watch it just to see the performances but i do not have high hopes. although i won't lie while i am convinced about zendaya's talent i'm less so on jdw. i thought he's been mostly fine in the two movies i've seen him lead but nothing has POPPED for me regarding him quite yet. altho tenet didn't exactly ask much of him acting wise (and the best moments was when he was allowed to actually crack a joke once in awhile and even emote) so i can't entirely blame him for that one lol.

[marywebgirl]

Kevin Smith had a scene at the beginning of Chasing Amy that used actual quotes of terrible reviews of Mallrats, and even he knew that it was ridiculous and cut it. To make a whole movie about one bad review is nuts.