“Malcolm and Marie” Review: A Well Executed and Unique Film Elevated by Spectacular Performances

Malcolm and Marie is a Netflix Original Film written and directed by Sam Levinson and stars John David Washington and Zendaya. The film takes place over the course of one night and follows a filmmaker (Washington) arriving home with his girlfriend from the premiere of his movie and spends the night awaiting critics responses.

John David Washington and Zendaya are absolutely spectacular in this film. The both have excellent chemistry and watching them on screen was an absolute delight. This film features one location and 2 actors, and that makes the film very reliant on the performances. Fortunately, both Washington and Zendaya carry the entire film and I could not see these roles played by anyone else.

The film also features some gorgeous black and white cinematography which I don't normally go for, however in this film I thought it really added that extra oomph. The film also features a phenomenal screenplay. In this film, Malcolm and Marie argue A LOT. While that may sound good on paper, it really added an extra layer of depth to their relationship and also added a ton of humor in to this film.

There is a lot to praise about this film, and I could go on and on about how splendid the two lead performances are. However, there were a couple of flaws in this film that did not go unnoticed. One of my issues with this film is the pacing. While the writing really covers it up, I felt that at times this film was very slow, especially between the second and third act. My other no so big issue with this film is the way it ends. While I do understand the ending from an artistic perspective, I personally felt that there should have been one more scene, as the ending provided made the film feel a bit incomplete.

To be quite honest, the entire premise of this film probably would not sound all that good on paper. However, this is a really well executed and unique film. The cinematography is gorgeous, the performances are spectacular, and the writing is skillful and commendable. While there are a few small issues with the film, the pros definitely outweigh the cons here. This is definitely one of the best films of 2021 so far and I highly recommend watching this film when it arrives on Netflix February 5th.

Final Grade: A-

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