‘Mr. Malcolm’s List’ (2022) Review: Predictability Betrays the Regency Drama
The new Regency romance is here. Emma Holly Jones’s Mr. Malcolm’s List is a romantic drama set in 1818 and follows the titular character, played by Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, an eligible bachelor to find a perfect wife using a checklist of requirements. The film, which has a diverse set of actors, follows a colourblind casting which has helped with shows like Netflix’s Bridgerton and the latest Jane Austen adaptation, Persuasion. These new and unconventional stories are completely different from previous movies set during the Regency period, and it makes Mr. Malcolm’s List a fresh, exciting, and slow-burn romance.
Mr. Malcolm is the biggest catch of the season. He’s the heir to a sizable fortune inherited and a country estate by his aunt, he wants to make sure he’s got the perfect match. A list of certain qualifications helps him to stay away from gold diggers and so, his next pursuit is Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton), an eligible bachelorette. As they watch the opera and try to get to know each other’s interests, Julia fails to remember the composer’s name and knows little about politics. When Mr. Malcolm doesn’t call her the next day and she receives a letter from a friend which included a scandalous caricature of their evening together, Julia becomes the subject of gossip and humiliation. She enlists the help of her cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and finds out that she didn’t meet the fourth requirement: “Converses in a sensible fashion” in Mr. Malcolm’s list. Furious and determined to take revenge on the man who humiliated her, Julia brings her childhood best friend Selina Dalton (Frieda Pinto), a country girl to the big city. She tries to convince Selina to be part of a plan to turn her into Mr. Malcolm’s ideal match and then later, reject him with a list of her own to teach him a lesson.
The story writes itself, but Mr. Malcolm’s List has something special. Dramas set in the Regency period mostly cast white actors and that’s understandable. But after years of underrepresentation, colourblind casting has done great work to bring new stories that aren’t necessarily focused on white-centric stories. It’s set in an alternative universe where the horrific acts of history aren’t the central narrative and like Bridgerton, which doesn’t entirely leave a positive commentary on the revisionist history of that story world. The show doesn’t bother to explain the racial history and constructs a story that is inside a utopia that lets the characters forget that anything bad ever happened before. Mr. Malcolm’s List doesn’t focus on those elements either and instead, focuses on the nuanced characters and predictable, romantic storytelling. It’s a problem with the recent push for a more diverse representation of movies, but is there a limit to dramas set in the Regency period, which mostly have white-centric characters and racial history?
Regardless, Mr. Malcolm’s List steals the hearts of period drama fans. It’s a sweet diversion from the Regency era that focuses on the earnest romance of love and loss. The biggest and most amazing part of the movie is the supporting cast. Ashley Park, who plays Selina’s embarrassing cousin, is a scene stealer. Ashton, however, is the star of the movie, as she takes the role of the cunning friend and she plays the part deliciously. In contrast to these enthusiastic and immensely fun performances, Dìrísù and Pinto are the most reserved in their roles. Dìrísù makes an interesting and refreshing male lead but when he is alongside Pinto, there is a lack of chemistry. There are no signs of passion or fire in their eyes that show that their love is burning for each other, which is disappointing due to the genre’s usual romantic structure.
Julia’s plan, predictably, never works out. However, Mr. Malcolm’s List mends the hearts of the two broken lovers and friendships are restored. The movie is a refreshing new look at how colourblind castings may need to be much more thoughtful, even though it presents a world of more romance and less racial history.
