It is movie review time! The movie is Mr. Malcolm’s List. It is a light-hearted, fluffy regency romance along the lines of Pride and Prejudice if it were written by a modern author. It was fun and very predictable. The plot was predictable – which is mostly good for me as I got what I expected.

Spoilers ahead.

There were some very interesting moments. I liked Lord Cassy, who played the part of supportive fool very well. I liked the issues that were mentioned (but not fully developed) in several of the scenes. I would say the overall plot of misunderstanding and expectation is a good starting point for a romance. 

So much like modern times, appearance is everything. Julia Thistlewight is trying to engage the affections of the most eligible Honorable Mr Malcolm. When he appears to snub Julia, it becomes the fuel for a caricature. Feeling publicly embarrassed and deeply unhappy about the experience, Julia uses her cousin to better understand the sudden change in attention. Discovering that Mr Malcolm has produced a list of requirements for his prospective wife, Julia comes up with a scheme to bring the wealthy bachelor down a peg or two. Julia enlists the help of a school friend, Selina Dalton, to enact her revenge.  

Of course as Selina plays her part to become the perfect wife according to Mr Malcolm’s list, she is increasingly apprehensive about the deception Julia has planned. Things finally come to a head during a masquerade ball, where Mr Malcolm believes he is proposing to Selina, when in fact it is Julia. Without saying a word, she hands Mr Malcolm a list of requirements for a husband, for which he fails. 

For me the biggest issues were the character development and the pacing. We reach this climatic moment of tension, when Malcolm believes he has been rejected and in the next heartbeat, it is clearly shown that Julia was the perpetrator, although Selina was complicit. I would likely have played with mistaken identities longer. But worse than that, there is only one really good scene where Malcolm and Selina talk – well fight – over the deception. Then two speeches of forgiveness between other characters and Malcolm propose successfully to Selina. I think it needed to explore the hurt feelings further. I would have cut some of the earlier wasted time to explore how these two reconcile their different perspectives. 

I suppose in that way, this was not the same as Pride and Prejudice. Elizabeth and Darcy have their misunderstanding earlier (and more than one), and it is really over the course of the story that they come to appreciate and love the other. While this is not the same formula followed in this movie, a longer ending would have made for a stronger story. I also would have sharpened up the dialogue. 

The characters and their motivations needed some work. Take Julia, the manipulative friend. We are supposed to be sympathetic towards the woman. But we really need to see how she has suffered because of the public humiliation. We need to see more explicitly her role in society. The story could explore how she is trying to change her personality to attract an eligible husband. For instance, it is demonstrated that Julia is a crack shot with a gun – an extraordinary skill for a female in that world. So build on this. Why is she good with the gun? Is she secretly more of a sporty female, but works hard to hide that aspect in order to appear more lady-like? If so, how else can this be played up so that the audience is more connected with Julia and also for comedic effect. 

Malcolm would have been stronger if he was less silent. I get the stoic vibe they were going for, but there was not nearly enough interaction with other people for anything more than ‘silent-type’ to present. He needs to be thrust into conversation with others, willingly and unwillingly if we are to swoon over the leading man. Afterall, he is supposed to be the catch of the season, and not just because of his money. He also needs to exude more charm. 

Visually, it was fun to watch. I am always fascinated how they can film historical images that lack the obvious modern elements – like hydro-poles and such. The costumes were nice. The diversity of the cast was well done. It was a good movie, perhaps not a classic, but decent. A little more polish with the script (the dialogue) and pacing and this would be a really great film. Still, I am giving it 3 out of 5 stars.