Mr. Malcolm's List

I have changed my original rating of 6 to 5, I hate to down grade films with a diverse cast, but surely there are important, authentic, diverse stories that should be told, based on literature and history of the non-Western world. I absolutely hate this type of story, trying to rewrite history, when it wasn't true.

Please make films that are not based on White people's experience but reflects the nobility of African/Asian experiences because there are those stories, this is really lazy.

The new thing of re-doing English period pieces with woke casting is a waste of opportunity and resources. These type of films are so fake.

Among other things, Zawe Ashton character is mostly unpleasant, interesting that the Black girl is the mean one. Even when they try to be diverse, they still have racial troupe's about Black women...very interesting.

Surely there are important, authentic, diverse stories that should be told, based on literature and history of the non-Western world.

Shouldn't those films be made?

The new thing of re-doing English period pieces with woke casting is a waste of opportunity and resources. These films and shows are like fake reality shows., though Mr. Malcolm's List is better than Bridgerton aka Gossip Girls in costume.

The set-up of the movie is tiresome. Among other things, Zawe Ashton and Freida Pinto are old for these period piece characters, Ashton's character is mostly unpleasant.

How this movie has an average of 5.3 but the disgracefully botched 2022 version of Persuasion, a 5.6, is beyond me. Yes, Mr. Malcolm's List is Austen-esque and predictable, but at least the script captured the zeitgeist of the early 1800s. Its preview (which is on YouTube) actually came out early 2019, so I'm guessing Bridgerton took a leaf out of their book in regard to a diverse cast.

The two leads don't have much chemistry but the cast in general is excellent. I particularly enjoyed Oliver Jackson-Cohen's Lord Cassidy and although Julia Thistlewaite's character is downright unpleasant, Zawe Ashton embodied her brilliantly. I'm glad she replaced Gemma Chan, whose performance in the preview I thought a bit spiritless.

All in all, not an arthouse film experience but definitely worth the watch if you're into period pieces. I watched it for the second time today and didn't enjoy it any less than I did the first time.

Just watched this movie; it did not live up to the hype. While the costuming, sets and cinematography were really good, the plot was so derivitive, predictable and unimaginative it angered me after viewing.

One of the classifications on this film is "comedy." I'll admit the septuagenarian exchange made me laugh out loud, but there were few example of wit in this film.

Bring Georgette Heyer to cinema life, for crying out loud. Her depth of knowledge -- from Regency mannerisms, phrasing, street and sect cant, from glitz to gutter, was due to investigation and extensive research. Also, her knowledge of the social and global conditions during the Regency period were woven into her pieces with great effect.

Ms. Heyer's writing is elegant, thoughtful, and her between-character dialogue/repartee is incomparable, whether in a London drawing room, a Bath water house, a backstreet brothel or on the battlefields of Waterloo. Her characters are fully-drawn and replete.

Developers: Please provide substantive content if venturing into Regency.

1818 - When Julia (Zawe Ashton) is rejected by London's most eligible bachelor, Mr Malcolm (Sope Dirisu) because she doesn't get a tick next to every item on his potential wife list, Julia seeks revenge for the humiliation. To do this, she, and her reluctant cousin (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) persuade friend Selina (Freida Pinto) to trick Malcolm by chatting him up so she can ultimately reject him with her own list. Inevitably, she falls for him.

Whilst the Jane Austen comparisons are inevitable and to a degree justified, this is a sweet, witty story of love, society, manners etc boasting a terrific cast. Pinto is perfect, as is Ashton whilst Jackson-Cohen is hilarious as the man scared of horses and determined not to get dragged into Ashton's scheme and failing. One point, if I'm honest, whilst Dirisu is a fine actor, I'm not sure he was quite right for the 'Darcy' role.