Malcolm & Marie (2021)

Let's jump right in with why so many critics are calling this film an enormous flop. It has come to a common consensus that Malcolm & Marie is a shallow replication of Edward Albee's Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf. If comparing the two, then yes, Malcolm & Marie is a pale replication of its predecessor.  Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf had more complexity in the plot, more mystery with the characters, and even more depth throughout the storyline. Malcolm & Marie throws in new conditions, new generations, and switches around the entire plot in order to center a black couple who criticizes the sole thing that they are involved with. Inadvertently it causes the question to rise: Which film is most authentic? Yes, the arguments get repetitive, but in the end they all lead back to one objective: a visual representation of a modern day power struggle. Keeping in mind, both films are centered around a dysfunctional and abusive relationship, Martha (Elizabeth Taylor) and George (Richard Burton) in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf brought people into their drama. While that made for a great plot at the time, it isn't something that is likely to happen in the 21st century--especially in the black community, no matter how wealthy one becomes. Second, Martha and George's relationship was depicted as something normal that they do. Whether George is there because he truly love's Martha or because he is simply "too numb to care anymore" it is clear that they have some sort of arrangement between them. Malcolm and Marie have no such thing. Marie feels as if she is being victimized, and so she speaks out about it, or rather yells, and Malcolm disregards her attempts and desires on multiple occasions, even when she wished "to ask him a question without making her feel like shit." The last thing that must be addressed is the circumstances. Not only are Martha and George a married white couple who have been together for years, they are in full sync with each other, older, and much more aware of themselves and the situation that they are in. Martha is conscious  enough to know that she loves George, and he her--she just "doesn't want it." Malcolm and Marie aren't married after being together for years with loads of baggage between them, but Malcolm blames any wrong doing and self sabotaging on Marie, rather than taking responsibility for his own actions and reactions. Them not being married feeds into the ongoing stigmas and stereotypes of a dividing black community. Whether this was intentional or not, now it seems as if becoming a "good girlfriend" is the goal, rather than becoming a wife. Black women are not on the same page with their men as white women are with theirs, and it is yet again shown on screen by even comparing these two films to one another. Do they have similar styles? Yes. Similar plots? Maybe. But a film cannot compete when is doesn't even compare. This film deserves recognition for its psychological approach to human nature as well its merits in its own rights. Zendaya gives a phenomenal performance as Marie. Should we expect anything less from the Euphoria star? She 

Malcolm & Marie follows the titular couple who, after coming home from the former’s movie premiere, get into a heated argument that lasts throughout the night. Their relationship is tested as they await the reviews for Malcolm’s movie, and secret resentments reveal themselves as the couple reaches a boiling point.

The best parts of Malcolm & Marie—and the only thing that is really noteworthy—are the performances. Led by John David Washington and Zendaya, the film keeps the audience interested because of the talent of the leads. It is worth watching for them alone, and they deserve credit for doing their best with the material given to them. It was great to see Zendaya branch out into unexplored territory with this role, and she proves herself as a powerful actress.

However, despite strong performances, Malcolm & Marie suffers a lot from the other aspects of the film. Directed and written by Sam Levinson(Euphoria), the film struggles to keep up with the performances that are being given. The script is, overall, fairly weak and repetitive. The entire movie is nearly two hours of arguments, a concept that has been done before and in much better ways. Malcolm & Marie is a lot of yelling and ranting without much substance, and it gets tiring pretty quickly.

Though it isn’t a long film—under two hours—it feels much longer. Levinson struggles with keeping the story going through any other means than argument, and there is no real emotional tie to the story that keeps the audience invested. The script and the story are nothing special, and some of the scenes come off as shallow and unimportant. It feels like a vanity project more than anything, and it is clear that Levinson inserts himself into the movie time and time again. The script is very on-the-nose and lacks any subtlety that might make it interesting.