The book that provides the source material for Mr. Malcolm's List was first published in 2009 rather than 1809, but director Emma Holly Jones convincingly creates the impression that she could be adapting a long-lost Jane Austen work. She's actually adapting Suzanne Allain's far more recent novel (utilizing a screenplay by Allain herself), and delivering an entertaining Austenian pastiche with sumptuous scenery and costumes. It doesn't reach the heights of the best genuine Austen movies, but it should provide fans of Regency-era romances with a thoroughly diverting two hours.
The title character (Sope Dirisu) is one of 1818 London's most eligible bachelors, pursued by all the young ladies of a certain social class. Among them is Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton), a vain and somewhat ignorant socialite who is reaching the limit of her allotted time to find a proper husband. When the reserved, imposing Malcolm takes her out to the opera and then never calls on her again, she feels gravely insulted. She enlists her cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) to find out why he has rejected her, and discovers that Malcolm has a list of requirements for what he seeks in a wife, which she hasn't met.
So Julia concocts a scheme to beat Malcolm at his own game, inviting her childhood friend, a country vicar's daughter named Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto), to join her in London. Julia plans to transform Selina into Malcolm's perfect woman, fulfilling every item on his list, so that he'll fall madly in love with her, only for him to be presented with Selina's own list of qualifications and told that he fails to live up to it.
Of course, in the manner of romantic comedies for hundreds of years, Selina and Malcolm fall in love for real, and Julia must face the consequences of her deception. It helps that there's a handsome military officer, Capt. Henry Ossory (Theo James), with his eye on Julia, even though she claims that she would never consider such a lower-status suitor.
The fate of both couples is entirely predictable, but in a movie like this, the pleasure is in the journey, and Allain comes up with some memorable characters and amusing dialogue, even if her wit isn't nearly as sharp as Austen's (or others who've adapted Austen). Ashton in particular nearly steals the movie as the ostensible antagonist, presenting a more kindhearted version of Kate Beckinsale's wicked schemer in Whit Stillman's brilliant 2016 Austen adaptation Love & Friendship. Pinto gives Selina a gentle manner and a lovely smile, but she's by nature a bit bland, having always lived in the shadow of her wealthier, more outgoing friend.
Given that the entire movie rests on his power to bestow prestige and comfort on the woman he chooses, Malcolm is also a bit bland, or at least so emotionally distant that it's hard to envision him truly opening his heart to Selina, or anyone. The supporting cast often makes up for the sedate central duo, and with so much craziness surrounding them, perhaps it's better for them to be grounded and sensible.
Like Netflix's hugely popular Regency-set series Bridgerton, Mr. Malcolm's List features a diverse cast that brings actors of color into the kind of story they've previously been largely excluded from, and that offers a fresh approach to material that could come off as a little stale. It sometimes seems like Allain and Jones are ticking items off their own Regency-romance list, from the masquerade ball to the drawing-room teatime, but there's a reason that those lovely, charming rituals have appealed to audiences for centuries. ♦
MR. MALCOLM'S LIST
