THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
You ever wondered what would it be like if the entire argument scene from Marriage Story was stretched to a full length film, you get this movie.
PLOT
Malcolm and Marie follows the titular couple returning home from a film premiere. Malcolm is the director of the premiered film and awaits to hear the critics' reviews. He confronts his girlfriend Marie due to appearing displeased. Although she doesn't want to argue with him, she admits how upset she is of him not acknowledging her in his speech at the premiere. She theorizes that the reason because of it would be that she is the basis of the film: The film is about a female drug addict, which is something she actually was when first meeting him. Malcolm does deny this theory and claim that the character is based off of other people he knew; The only thing he said that was based on her was the character's feeling of hopelessness. Despite this, she backs up her point of view believing that he would've not pulled off an actual depiction of an addict had he not met her. He than makes his own belief that she is picking on him out of jealousy that she never got the role due to her decision to quit acting years prior. He does get to read one review of the film and although it sounds positive, he is upset on how the critic doesn't see the big picture of the film's message. Marie does resume the argument on wondering why she wasn't ever offered the role in the first place, believing that she could've brought out the authenticity and vulnerability of the character to make it better. She proves her point by acting out a scene in which she demonstrates just that. She does convince him but it also frightens him, due to having a knife involved for the scene. She finally closes her argument by claiming how he takes her for granted and lacks acknowledgment of how it is truly their genuine love that inspired the film. It truly closes when she recites a 'thank you' speech she wanted to hear from him. After they make up and go to sleep, the film ends with the titular couple waking up and watching the view outside your home.
THOUGHTS
I remember hearing about this film entering production when the COVID-19 pandemic was at it's worst. Since business refuses to sleep in Hollywood, the only thing that came to my mind upon this announcement was that I found this move ambitious yet excited of what would be the final product. When it arrived on Netflix months later, it makes me happy to find myself satisfied of what I got. It is hard for me to enjoy love stories because I would sense how predictable it'd be for the conflict to resolve. Director and writer Sam Levinson doesn't make it feel that way and that is what made this film stand out to me. This one was so interesting to watch because this was one that felt real to me because it arguably succeeds best on how relationships bring out the best and worst of people and I don't think it is ever exaggerated. We sense that the love is there but this is what happens when you release the negativity you have pent up for so long. Besides the combination of Labrinth's smooth score and the beautiful cinematography by Marcell Rev, there is no way we would've been invested had the two leads not kept their A game with incredible chemistry. John David Washington releases another level of range that pays off so well. The prior mainstream roles present him as a selfless protagonist but here, he shows Malcolm to be arguably the most self absorbed character you could ever see in this genre. He can also come off highly pretentious because he is so desperate to be the next thing. He is more concerned on what critics gotta say rather than appreciate the opinion of the audience. His rant of his first review is satisfying to witness because I believe that every performer in this business has a similar experience on such commentary. Because of how self absorbed he is, it is hard to be on his side, leading me to be on the side of the other half. Zendaya raised her bar as an actress after her Emmy winning performance in HBO's Euphoria. But now she raised it even higher with the role of Marie. As the second titular lead, she is on point displaying that she is someone who may have been damaged, but is smarter than her other half thinks due to the fact that she still got it, when it comes to acting. She does prove her point on how he doesn't truly appreciate her, but it becomes difficult to like her because of how she continues to press on the argument like a ricochet. Because of this, it makes their relationship toxic. She knows that he does appreciate her in his own way, but just wants it to be public. So when she makes up the 'thank you' speech before they make amends, he finally understands what she wanted. Since it ends with them watching the sunrise, we can only hope that their relationship gets better from this eventful night. In short, Malcolm & Marie is a romantic drama that stands out because it's clearly not like the rest. So if you got Netflix and want to stir up the pot with your watchlist, this is the one for you.
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