Malcolm & Marie

Name: Malcolm & Marie
Genre: Drama, Romance
Released: February 5, 2021
Duration: 106 min
Rating: 53
Cast: John David Washington, Zendaya

2021

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Mixed or average reviews based on 44 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 112 Ratings

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5.9

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5.9	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 112 Ratings

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Malcolm & Marie

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Movie Details & Credits

Netflix | Release Date (Streaming): February 5, 2021 | R

Starring: John David Washington, Zendaya

Summary: A filmmaker (John David Washington) returns home with his girlfriend (Zendaya) following a celebratory movie premiere as he awaits what’s sure to be imminent critical and financial success. The evening suddenly takes a turn as revelations about their relationships begin to surface, testing the strength of their love.

Director: Sam Levinson

Genre(s): Drama, Romance

Rating: R

Runtime: 106 min

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Critic Reviews

100

Mick LaSalle

Jan 28, 2021

in addition to the quality of its dialogue, Levinson’s script is a testament to the value of talking and listening, past the point of discomfort, past the point it hurts. Read full review

Chris Agar

Jan 28, 2021

Malcolm & Marie serves as a powerful showcase for its two stars, with Washington and Zendaya elevating the script to compelling results. Read full review

James Berardinelli

Feb 3, 2021

Produced during the pandemic and available on Netflix, the movie is well worth a look both as an exploration of love’s bitter aftermath and as an example of how art can bloom even in the most challenging circumstances. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

Jan 27, 2021

Graciously accompanied by Washington (who can even make eating mac-and-cheese compelling), Zendaya emerges as the star of this show, delivering a performance that calls on sudden, turn-on-a-dime reversals — emotional figure-eights that she executes with impressive, unstudied finesse. Read full review

Stephanie Zacharek

Feb 5, 2021

Levinson has ripped quite a few rock ’em-sock ’em pages from the John Cassavetes tradition, as well as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? But if the couple’s fighting is amusing at times, it’s mostly lacerating and circular in a way that courts boredom rather than sympathy or any other deep, honest response. Read full review

Brian Lowry

Feb 5, 2021

Writer-director Sam Levinson spends a good deal of time in Malcolm & Marie complaining about critics, which feels like a boxer leading with his chin. Pairing Zendaya and John David Washington, the movie -- quickly and stealthily shot during the pandemic -- wins points for ingenuity, then loses them with its shrill tone and the uneven hairpin turns of its writing. Read full review

Barry Hertz

Feb 2, 2021

Malcolm & Marie is the worst kind of self-indulgent nonsense. It is an obnoxious gripe about everything and anything that is so devoid of wit and imagination that it ends up being about nothing at all. Read full review

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User Reviews

JasEla

Feb 6, 2021

Beautiful Cinematography. Incredible acting. The depths in which these actors depicted their relationship was truly mesmerizing

3 of 5 users found this helpful32

tater_tot10

Feb 5, 2021

This is such a great movie. The dialogue, cinematography, and the acting were all phenomenal. The black and white style adds something special to this film. Everyone should go watch it

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

megomike

Feb 14, 2021

Every couple argues, but not like Malcolm and Marie. In truth, all couples fight exactly as they do, with most of the brutality, but little of the honesty. Malcolm and Marie explores how many layers of pain and anger must be peeled away in order for two human beings to achieve empathy andEvery couple argues, but not like Malcolm and Marie. In truth, all couples fight exactly as they do, with most of the brutality, but little of the honesty. Malcolm and Marie explores how many layers of pain and anger must be peeled away in order for two human beings to achieve empathy and understanding. A small careless act ignites a nightlong battle between two lovers, the battlefield being each other’s ego, self-worth, and shame. In short, Malcolm and Marie is 106 straight minutes of verbal revenge sex. Malcolm and Marie is written and directed by Sam Levinson (Euphoria, son of Oscar Winner Barry Levinson). It stars John David Washington (Tenet, BlacKkKlansman) as Malcolm, a hollywood director, and Zendaya (Spider-Man, Greatest Showman) as Marie, the muse for his most recent movie. The couple returns home from the premiere of Malcolm’s movie, where he has received acclaim from his peers, to await the returns from the critics. While receiving his accolades earlier that evening, Malcolm neglects to acknowledge Marie in his appreciation speech. The fight begins as a question, a simple one, from Marie to Malcolm, about the lapse in judgement. The question is in fact a wound, coming from a place so deep it requires an evening of angry introspection on both parts in order to arrive. The map to Marie’s wound winds through miles of self-doubt and disappointment, with numerous detours through Malcolm’s sanctimonious musings and emotional ignorance. This film is a vignette of a relationship’s path to understanding, but with violent words and harsh truths many of us keep inside. After each round either Malcolm or Marie wins the smaller battle, only for the other to retreat into a corner, in order to regroup for the next volley. The deeper each goes into harming the other, more intentionally with each pass, the more difficult it is for the viewer to hear their venom, as we recognize our most carnal feelings of derision toward partners past and present. But the road is treacherous and long, and Malcolm and Marie ultimately requires the audience to decide whether the brutal honesty of battle, rather than contrived kindness, is the more effective route. I give Malcolm and Marie 4.5 out of 5 stars, and recommend it for anyone that has ever been in a difficult relationship. This is a difficult love story to watch, but an authentic one, and the passion of their disappointment and anger translates to passionate emotional and physical love. You will want this relationship to both fail, and last forever, at many points. While the film itself may not stand up to all of the heavy hitters in the Best Picture category, the performances of both John David Washington and Zendaya are good enough not only to be nominated but to win Oscars. They deftly bring the watcher through the battle that may not end the way you want, but does end the way it should: with another day.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

Panchogul

Apr 30, 2021

Buena cinematografía, buenas actuaciones, historia aburrida y sin encanto.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

CarlElmore

Nov 24, 2022

Great performances and cinematography but the writing and directing is very pretentious.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Stream2BigScree

Feb 5, 2021

Remember when you were out in public - when we could go out in public - and you notice a couple within earshot having a "discussion." You're not really doing anything, so you get really quiet so that you can eavesdrop on their back and forth. He says something crazy, and she has a readyRemember when you were out in public - when we could go out in public - and you notice a couple within earshot having a "discussion." You're not really doing anything, so you get really quiet so that you can eavesdrop on their back and forth. He says something crazy, and she has a ready comeback. You lean your ear a bit closer, but you're casual about it so they don't notice your nosiness. If it's really juicy, you may get really lost in it and grab some popcorn, but really after about 10 minutes or so, you're bored and you move on to your own life. Malcolm & Marie is that but you're stuck listening to the couple argue for almost 2 hours - well after the initial interest has waned. Malcolm & Marie is this week's big Netflix premiere starring John David Washington and Zendaya in the film produced during last year's COVID-induced lockdown. Here's how I found it.

Malcolm & Marie was written and directed by Sam Levinson, who is the creator of HBO's "Euphoria". Shot in lush black and white, John David Washington plays Malcolm, a director, whose latest film premiered this night and was well-received; and, Zendaya plays Marie, the director's girlfriend, who comes home after the premiere with tension boiling within. The film is a series of arguments throughout the night between Malcolm and Marie about art, criticism, and the various issues in their relationship. A lot of shouting, primarily from Washington - monologues, pontification, and talk and talk and talk all contained in the rooms of this home.

First things first, Zendaya is special. She really can infuse her characters and lines with feeling and energy even when they don't deserve it. Marie is a fine character, but there's not much to it but a sparring partner with Malcolm. Zendaya does her best to give it more and succeeds most of the time. Malcolm is a self-centered, egomaniac and Washington plays into that well enough. The problem with Malcolm is that there is so much talking and shouting that it becomes unbearable. Why is Marie even still there?

Secondly, interspersed through all of the talking are some good music cues. The music gives a good respite to the arguing, but it also is supposed to fill in some of those emotional gaps. It is used well and not overdone. The real problem here is that there's no urgency to anything these people talk about. He's screaming about his movie and the critics and blah, blah, blah, even as she's trying to get him to acknowledge her feelings. I was wondering throughout Malcolm & Marie, do I care? When will this be over? And, are these people still fighting? The arguing was just exhausting and not in a good way.

Ultimately, there's too much talking and the subject matter of the argument is not interesting, or emotionally fulfilling. This is an argument that you'll want to check-out of early. Even though Zendaya does her best, I only give Malcolm & Marie one popped popcorn kernel and find something else to stream.… Expand

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

BladeLover2049

Feb 15, 2021

Very pretentious wanting to structure a film through tantrums by the director embodied in a story without coherence or almost nonexistent. He wants us to avoid the gift of criticism simply to avoid criticism.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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