“What actually occurred is beside the point. It’s what people say that matters.” This fallacy is the central driving force of the Regency-set romance “Mr. Malcolm’s List.” Directed by first-timer Emma Holly Jones and based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Allain, who also wrote the script, the film aims to achieve the same sparkling, social commentary-infused romance as a Jane Austen novel, and very nearly succeeds.
Set in England in 1818, the film revolves around the titular Mr. Malcolm (an incredibly charming Ṣọpẹ Dìrísù, “His House,” “Gangs of London”) who is the biggest catch of the season. Although the younger son of an earl with no title, he has been left an entire estate by his maternal aunt, worth $20K a year. Wary of social climbers and longing for true love, Mr. Malcolm has a list of attributes by which he measures all women. This has earned him the reputation of being a trifler and breaker of hearts.
When he humiliates Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton, “Velvet Buzzsaw”) by escorting her to the opera and never calling on her again, she devises a plan to exact revenge. She invites her girlhood friend Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto, “Slumdog Millionaire“), the poor daughter of a clergyman, to stay with her in London. Together, along with her cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen, “The Haunting of Hill House”), they plan to give him a dose of his own medicine. Of course, things go awry when Selina and Mr. Malcolm begin to fall in love for real.
Self-published in 2009, Allain later adapted her novel into a script that attracted attention from The Black List, which was then made into a short teaser in 2019. Much of the main cast has returned for the feature, save Gemma Chan (“Eternals“) who was replaced by Ashton. While Ashton is excellent in channeling the cunning Austenite style of a character like Caroline Bingley from “Pride & Prejudice,” she doesn’t quite have the star power of Chan, and, for those who have seen the short, her presence is sorely missed.
It doesn’t help that Julia is also shoe-horned into a romance with Theo James, whose Captain Henry Ossory should be the requisite bad man, a la Henry Crawford or Mr. Wickham, yet somehow is not. Clearly an attempt by Allain to twist the formula, Ossory becomes one character too many, and James is not capable of playing him as either a wronged man, a rivalry for anyone’s affection, or even a straight-up romantic lead. Everything he tries falls flat, doing no favors to Ashton as a scene partner.
Thankfully, the film’s other leads are both excellent. Their meet-cute scene is beautifully staged, their chemistry immediate. Pinto is perfectly cast as the more intellectualized Selina, whose repartee with Mr. Malcolm is reminiscent of Elizabeth Bennett, and whose humble origins are akin to Fanny Price. A clear riff on Austen’s most famous leading man, Mr. Darcy, Dìrísù takes Mr. Malcolm one step further, adding emotional layers that reach beyond mere replication. There is a playfulness to his Mr. Malcolm that is rarely afforded Austen’s leading men – at least in most of their film iterations. A wry smile there, a chuckle here, and it’s clear Dìrísù should be the lead in many a romance from now on.
As great as the two romantic leads are, the real star-making turns in the film come from two of the supporting players. “Emily In Paris” breakout star Ashley Park may only have two scenes, but she makes them count, chewing all the scenery as Selina’s vulgar, twice-widowed cousin Gertie Covington. Equally as hilarious is Jackson-Cohen as Julia’s cousin Lord Cassidy. Where Park’s comedy aims for the grotesque, Jackson-Cohen’s subtle hilarity comes from his expert comic timing. Lines that may not have been funny on the page sparkle in his hands.
Along with its charming cast, the film checks all the requisite boxes for a Regency romance. There are long walks by a lake, through a garden, in great halls filled with ancient portraits. There are multiple balls, filled with beautiful people doing beautiful dances to beautiful music. Production designer Ray Ball and costume designer Pam Downe have crafted a rich world in which fans of the era will enjoy getting lost.
However, Jones does not quite have the chops to capture this world in all its glory. Many of the compositions are stale, or feel lifted directly from better films. The dance sequences, which should be the erotic peak of the film, are filmed without much verve. With a script this sharp and performances this game, it’s a shame that the basic filmmaking doesn’t do anything visually to elevate the film further.
Much of the pleasure of a film like this is derived from knowing that the couple at its center will eventually realize they are perfect for each other, get over their differences, share a big, grand romantic gesture, and live happily ever after. Despite its lackluster visual flare, the script at least delivers on these beats, with its charming cast more than capable of winning over the audience’s emotions. “Mr. Malcolm’s List” may not have the lasting power of Jane Austen’s masterworks, but it should be tolerable enough to tempt her fans into spending a perfectly diverting couple of hours in its world. [B]