Mr. Malcolm’s List Parent Guide

It’s 1818 and Mr Jeremiah Malcolm (Sope Dirisu) finds himself one of the most sought after marital prospects in London’s high society. The younger son of an earl, Malcolm is handsome, rich, and owner of an estate in Kent. Well aware of his eligibility, Malcolm refuses to be charmed into an unsatisfactory marriage, so he makes a list of the attributes he seeks in a wife.

Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) is beautiful, charming – and not Mr. Malcolm’s cup of tea. When he stops pursuing her, she becomes a laughingstock and determines to see Malcolm humiliated, using his own list as ammunition. Hatching a revenge scheme, Julia pressures her old friend, Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto), to come to London, play the part of Malcolm’s ideal woman, and then deliver a stinging rejection. There’s just one catch – Selina and Malcolm are perfect for each other.

Fans of period rom-coms can add Mr. Malcolm’s List to their roster of period films. It lacks the wicked irony of Jane Austen’s classic novels (and film adaptations) but it’s still a perfectly satisfactory film. Just because it isn’t great doesn’t mean it isn’t good.

This film succeeds because, at its core, it’s entertaining. It doesn’t raise any significant issues and it has some clanging anachronisms, but it’s fun. Zawe Ashton’s outrageous overacting as the spurned and vindictive Julia is amusing but she doesn’t chew the scenery for the entire runtime. She also provides some authentic emotion and real growth. Director Emma Holly Jones is clearly fond of her characters but never takes them too seriously and allows us to laugh good-naturedly at their errors and missteps. The lighthearted tone occasionally slides close to farce, but never quite goes over the edge.

One of the movie’s weaknesses is the romantic chemistry, which doesn’t always “zing” on the big screen but Freida Pinto projects such heartfelt sincerity in her role and Theo James such clear-sighted affection in his pursuit of Julia that it’s impossible not to share the happiness of the characters as their happily ever after comes into view.

Astonishingly, in a world of increasingly edgy romances, Mr. Malcolm’s List is clean. With minimal negative content (primarily low-cut period gowns), this is a movie you could watch with your clergyman or Great Aunt Ethel. It’s clean enough for kids, but they will definitely not be interested. As for fans of the genre, this movie might not be at the top of their list for Regency romances, but it’s worth a watch.