Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Sam Levinson
Starring: Zendaya, John David Washington
Apparently inspired by a real life fracas between himself and his wife,
writer/director Sam Levinson's Malcolm & Marie has
a premise that Larry David might mine for comedy gold. Filmmaker Malcolm (John David Washington) and his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya) have just arrived home after
the successful world premiere of his latest movie. Malcolm is in partying
mood, but Marie is sullen and quiet. As we quickly learn, the latter is
intensely annoyed that Malcolm forgot to thank her in his rambling
speech.
Though there are occasional comic beats, Levinson plays this setup with a
straight face, which is perhaps ultimately the film's downfall. Shot in
moody black and white, it's clear that Levinson wants you to take this as a
piece of straight drama, dare I say "awards worthy." It's one of many films
that were shot over the past year while on lockdown, and like most of these
films it feels like a first draft rushed out to capture a moment in time.
Even if the pandemic is never referenced, the tensions between two people
trapped in a home and reevaluating their relationship is likely to make for
uncomfortable viewing for many couples who have been getting under each
other's skins in recent months.
Malcolm & Marie falls very much into the category of
"filmmaking as therapy." Malcolm might be presented as unlikeable, abrasive
and often cruel, but it's clear he represents Levinson's thoughts on many
aspects of the film industry in our current age. Malcolm often goes off on
extended rants about how his movies are received by critics, who reductively
view his work as that of a Black filmmaker rather than simply a filmmaker,
and he makes the case that he should be able to make movies about whomever
he wants, which you can't help but read as Levinson fighting back about the
criticism levelled against his debut movie, the pseudo-feminist
thriller Assassination Nation. At one point the en vogue debate regarding "authenticity" - ie whether
roles should be given to the best actor for the part or to someone who can
relate to the role through their own lived experience - comes up between
Malcolm and Marie, who is angry that he didn't cast her in the role of a
junkie she believes is based on her own past. Thanks largely to Zendaya's
superior talent, Marie appears to win this debate, but it's clear Levinson
sides with Malcolm, otherwise he would have cast himself and his wife rather
than a pair of high profile professional stars.
Levinson's film often gets into queasy territory, particularly in Malcolm's
obsession with a critic whom he disparagingly refers to as "the White lady
from The LA Times." He makes some valid points about how White critics write
about Black filmmakers, but given Levinson's own history with a "White lady
from The LA Times" who panned his previous film, it's impossible not to see this
as petulance on his part. Levinson is the son of
Rain Man director Barry, while Washington is the offspring of
Denzel, so to have these two privileged millionaires expend so much energy
bashing someone who probably struggles to pay their rent feels like punching
down at its worst.
As always seems to be the case with former Disney stars, Zendaya is
excellent here, and she manages to elevate the role beyond Levinson's
crudely on-the-nose script. She's at her best when Marie's reacting to her
boyfriend's cruelty, trying to remain strong while suppressing tears.
Washington isn't quite so convincing, largely due to his character being a
one-dimensional vessel to air his director's grievances.
Neither Malcolm nor Marie quite convince us that they ever really existed
before they walked into the plush Malibu home that provides the arena for
this bout. Any backstory is delivered through the film's many overly written
monologues, so if you're like me and believe in "show, don't tell," you're
in for a long 105 minutes. As an exercise to keep the acting muscles of two performers in use at a
difficult period for the film industry,
Malcolm & Marie certainly gives Zendaya and Washington
plenty to chew on, but it's not so easy for the audience to swallow.
