Malcolm & Marie — Movie Review
by KJ Proulx
When it comes to one-location films, I’m usually cautiously optimistic every time. When this type of film is done right, it can really shine and be memorable for the filmmaking techniques involved throughout. The reason I’m usually cautious is due to the fact that there have been multiple films that don’t do enough to hold your interest, leaving you bored with the scenery over and over again. Now streaming on Netflix, Malcolm & Marie is one of the latest films to take place entirely at one location. While it’s very far from perfect, here’s why I at least admired it so much.
After the premiere of his first feature film, Malcolm returns to his rental home with his girlfriend Marie. Feeling high and mighty after the stellar response, his cockiness gets the better of him. This in turn releases an endless number of thoughts about each other. Essentially, this film is 106 minutes of arguing. That may not seem appealing, but it all comes down to whether or not you believe these characters, and I absolutely did.
John David Washington has proven time and time again that he’s a force on camera. Whether you’re talking about BlacKkKlansman or smaller movies like Monsters and Men or The Old Man and the Gun, I’ve just loved his commitment to each role. On top of his great performance once again here, I think his co-star Zendaya actually stole the show from him on multiple occasions. Other appearing in Spider-Man films and being very solid in The Greatest Showman, I hadn’t watched any of her earlier television roles as a child actress. It wasn’t until her starring role in the HBO series Euphoria that I then told myself I need to see every future project that includes a performance by her. She has really come a long way as an actress and her performance in Malcolm & Marie felt incredibly raw and I loved every second of it.
Where I feel this film falls apart is actually in the greatness of these performances and the stellar filmmaking overall. From the unique cinematography by Marcell Rev to the great direction by Sam Levinson (both of whom worked on Euphoria with Zendaya), Malcolm & Marie is simply too long of a film for the material being presented. It takes place over one night and follows a couple arguing in different rooms. Everything about the movie itself is elegant, but by the time it reached the second act, I started getting hints of Déjà Vu. I was sucked in by the camerawork and performances in the first act, I even liked where the movie ended, but certain conversations or things the characters were doing just started to feel incredibly repetitive. It felt like different versions of the same scene were happening over and over again.
Overall, Malcolm and Marie is a massive showcase for how talented of a director Sam Levinson has the potential of being and also that John David Washington and Zendaya are both incredible performers. I feel disappointed in retrospect because there was so much potential on the table. It’s not that the film fell apart, it’s that after a while, there wasn’t anywhere new to take this film on an intellectual level. Things are said later on in the film as a revelation, which I felt was already implied without saying a word earlier on. This movie was very confused with the notion of show-don’t-tell. In the end, for film lovers like myself, it’s absolutely worth a watch, but I really don’t believe it was as good as it could’ve been.
Rating: 3/5
Check out the trailer below:
