05 Feb Malcom & Marie Review

MALCOLM & MARIE

Written and directed by Sam Levinson, starring Zendaya and John David Washington

Malcolm & Marie follows a writer-director and his girlfriend, whose relationship is tested on the night of his latest film’s premiere.

A film that is essentially a feature-length falling out between the titular characters, Malcolm & Marie is paced with peaks and valleys; the two enjoy small quiet moments together as well as full blown knock down, drag out verbal altercations that rise and fall throughout the movie that leaves viewers tired and on the ropes. The main issue with the film is the fact that after the first half hour, those peaks and valleys start looking increasingly similar; one snide remark, one dagger and yet again our characters are off to the races. The fact that Malcolm is so clearly bent on winning the arguments instead of listening to what Marie has to say reveals more about this poisonous relationship than the arguments themselves. To compare this movie to a boxing match isn’t farfetched; the blows, dodges, counterpunches, and parries mimic that of two heavyweights duking it out during a 12 round match. Unfortunately, all that bluster in the script leaves very little room for the progression of a story or character development: by the final moments playing over the credits, viewers are left with the sense that all ended where it began, with our characters changed little for the better.

The main strength in this movie is the acting tour-de-force, presented in full display by both Zendaya and Washington. Frustration, anger, resentment, genuine love, and disgust are a revolving door of emotions as the couple continue to tear into and tear down each other during its 106 minute runtime. Whereas Washington is all emotions on the surface, bitter anger and pettiness (along with a number of explosive monologues), it’s Zendaya’s slow builds from cold fury to outright explosion that propels the story from one verbal spat to the next, stopping only to give viewers some momentary respite and allow them to reset before the next round. The fact that the movie is equal parts fascinating and frustrating while being handled entirely by two people is a testament to the acumen of both actors. This isn’t a movie where you root for the characters to succeed, it’s a movie where you root for them to both seek therapy and anger management classes, and that’s largely due in part to how Zendaya and Washington approach each other and the material.

From a writing perspective, Levinson starts off strong, giving each character a distinct voice and personality before ultimately delving into thinly veiled caricatures: Malcom becoming the voice of Levinson’s frustration with film critics while Marie at times plays ‘what if’ devil’s advocate for those who’d rebuke Levinson’s complaints. Directing wise, he does a competent job, using the camera to invade the personal space of both characters while at times pulling back far enough to leave them alone with their emotions. The grainy picture combined with the austere set design lends a visual that is at times more interesting in the background than the actions happening in the foreground.

An emotional look into the nature of destructive people, toxic relationships, ego, and suffering, Malcolm & Marie is a hard watch due to the constant antagonizing nature of the characters and due to it’s interesting premise stretched thin. This movie would work excellently as a short film, but as a feature length film (much like the characters portrayed within), it hits hard in the beginning and fizzles out towards the end. Commendations must be given for a project whipped together from scratch in a handful of weeks and produced during the middle of a pandemic, but ultimately the film lacks any substantive material beyond an acting showcase. Malcolm & Marie premieres on Netflix February 12th.

Review by Darryl Mansel