Mr. Malcolm's List Review: A Charming Period Romance Led By An Excellent Cast

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The Regency era is back in style, with Netflix’s successful Bridgerton series and the upcoming adaptation of Jane Austen’s Persuasion among the various media breathing fresh air into the subgenre. Mr. Malcolm’s List joins the ever-growing, uh, list of Regency romances and it is well worth the watch. Directed by Emma Holly Jones from a screenplay by Suzanne Allain (who adapted it from her novel of the same name), Mr. Malcolm’s List has a lot of charm, a fantastic cast with excellent chemistry, and plenty of humor, even if its plot lacks overall stakes.

Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) is entering her fifth social season as a single woman in London’s high society. In 1818, this was a stressful occurrence and already Julia was receiving comments about stepping aside to make room for the “younger” women preparing themselves for the marriage mart. But Julia has a lot of pride and carries on unperturbed by the looks and gossip. After a quick courtship with Mr. Jeremiah Malcolm (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù), who reiterates that he only went out with her once, Julia is embarrassed to learn she is made into a caricature in London’s society paper in the aftermath of her failed outing. With her reputation taking a massive hit, and thereafter discovering Mr. Malcolm has a list of requirements for a wife that she did not meet from her cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen), Julia sets her sights on revenge. She recruits her longtime friend, Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto), who comes from a family of humble means, to pose as Mr. Malcolm’s ideal match in the hopes of publicly humiliating him.

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For her feature film debut, Jones makes a solid effort to bring a balance of drama,