Malcolm & Marie Review: Zendaya and John David Washington Breathe Life Into a Dying Relationship

Warning: This review may contain spoilers for the Netflix film Malcolm & Marie.

Malcolm & Marie is unrelenting, unforgiving, and unflinching. But most of all, it’s good — good enough not to drown in its own suffocating premise.

That success is all but contributed to Zendaya and John David Washington, the two actors tasked with pushing this seductive story to the brink of its sanity with their raw talent and the kind of all-consuming passion that elevates any dialogue.

At the end of the day, their talent is what will draw you in, and it’s ultimately what will keep you coming back for more, even when you’re not entirely sure you want to.

This ambitious pandemic project from Euphoria‘s Sam Levinson follows Malcolm (Washington), a filmmaker on the verge of critical and financial success after returning home from the premiere of his new movie. Marie (Zendaya), his girlfriend and a retired actress, has her concerns about their future.

The film pays homage to old-Hollywood romances, basking the story in an elegant white and black lens as we explore the imploding relationship between a couple that has left too much unsaid for too long.

The gorgeous and haunting cinematography will instantly pull you in. The plot won’t always be enough to hold your attention, but it’s easy to get lost in the expansive playground of Malcolm & Marie thanks to the architectural triumphs of the Caterpillar House.

The glamourous California home provides a proper setting for this couple’s feud and an arsenal of escape routes for these characters. It’s the third character we needed this secluded film to have.

Malcolm and Marie aren’t as easy to love as the architecture, but they are entertaining.

We don’t have to like these two characters to enjoy their company and it’s clear, getting to know them will not make the heart grow fonder. But I am fond of giving powerhouse performers a platform where they can be as real and as outlandish as the role calls for.

Washington certainly does his part to command us in that regard. He livens the night with impromptu dance montages, fights that take place while shovelling mac and cheese into his mouth, and one-sided emotional tirades that become laughable the longer they go on.

His ability to destroy any shred of his own dignity with knife-twisting remarks, then earn back our respect with soft seduction is incredibly compelling to watch.

Washington walks a fine line between love and loathing as he attempts to paint the narrative in his favour. For that, he must be commended.

It’s never clear exactly who is right and who is worth trusting, but one thing is clear in this battle between Malcolm and Marie — Marie holds all the punches.

Zendaya is unrelenting in her ability to demand our gaze from the moment she walks on screen as Marie. Even when Malcolm is going off on a political rant, I find myself utterly enamoured with her presence in the scene and caring less and less about the discussion itself.

There’s no denying she is the one in control, using her emotions to manipulate Malcolm and the audience into believing these half-truths, only to have the rug pulled out from under us when we least expect it.

That unspoken charisma is what continues to make the actress a standout in every project she touches, but Zendaya doesn’t get by on likeability with this one. She has to own every square inch of that house and bare herself to the world with a wardrobe and script that leaves her nowhere to hide.

She meets this challenge unflinching, and with a calibre that outshines her male counterpart.

There are questions of what will become of Malcolm and Marie when the sun comes up, but Zendaya’s commanding performance is never in question. Marie is reassurance that Zendaya isn’t just a spectacle — she’s spectacular!

The film might not be able to double down on anything meaningful past its earnest relationship analysis, but it does stir up important discussions.

Discussions about white critics like the female journalist Malcolm deems unfit to critique his review without making it about race. And when Malcolm himself is called out for not allowing more women the opportunity to influence his female-driven film. It’s all topical, but more often than not, the script’s harsh condescension falls on deaf ears.

Stellar casting and chemistry don’t allow this premise a clean getaway. Showcases such as these hardly ever live up to their premise’s potential. Malcolm & Marie is no different as it attempts to pass off a disjointed stage performance as an organic pattern of events.

It’s disappointing to watch a relationship with such potential force itself into an exhausting routine of fighting, making up, fighting. It’s especially frustrating given Malcolm and Marie are at their best when they are together, demonstrating the kind of chemistry that almost makes burning everything to the ground worth it for these two.

There are valid reasons to pass on this film’s sporadic pacing and non-committal premise.

But to forgo this film altogether is to miss out on the parts of this premise that delight with swoon-worthy romance, entertaining melodrama, and stellar acting worthy of the academy.

To expect more than that, however, would be setting yourself up for disappointment with what is essentially a surface-level showcase of what Hollywood’s most promising talent can do when left to their own devices.

Malcolm & Marie is impressive, but it is hardly a cinematic tour de force.

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Malcolm & Marie premieres Friday, February 5th on Netflix.

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