"Malcolm and Marie" on Netflix relies on the young star's appeal and tries to be "Artistic", but is boring, which is a shame
Zendaya and John David Washington in "Malcolm and Marie"
Malcolm, an early-stage film director, and Marie, his young girlfriend, return home after a really successful premiere of his new film.
Malcolm is in a great mood.
Marie less.
The reason?
Malcolm forgot to thank her in the long speech he delivered before the screening began.
Was this an innocent mistake?
Or maybe it was done on purpose?
Not entirely clear, but it also does not really matter that Marie
Wounded to the depths of her soul, and for the next nearly two hours both are going to quarrel over it.
This is, in short, the plot of "Malcolm and Marie," the arrogant, pretentious, and very chatty film of screenwriter-director Sam Levinson (creator of the TV series "Euphoria"), shot in one location last summer, under the auspices of the Corona and featuring only two actors.
Malcolm is played by John David Washington ("Ten", "Black on White"), while Marie is played by rising star Zendaya ("Spider-Man: Away from Home", "Euphoria").
There is no doubt that they are both charismatic and very talented (especially Zendaya, if I may).
But Levinson's smug, sophisticated, childish script (which, in addition to everything is also filmed in "artistic" black and white) makes the film starring them an endless argument between two unbearable people.
He shouts at her that she is jealous and manipulative.
She screams at him that he is dependent, megalomaniacal and selfish.
He tells her he loves her.
She relaxes and goes out into the yard to smoke a cigarette.
Then it all starts all over again.
While the dynamic between the two yields some fleeting moments of intimacy that can be identified with, the connection of all these scenes together fails to convince and mostly makes a hole in the head.
The situations are artificial, artificial and unreliable, and time and time again the feeling is given that Levinson is simply trying to force his film along the length of a feature.
Meanwhile, Levinson (the son of veteran Hollywood director Barry Levinson) certainly has a host of provocative opinions.
His opinionated characters (played by two African-American actors) criticize the politics of identities, talk about authenticity, go head-to-head with contemporary Hollywood trends, and mercilessly dismantle dumb film critics.
But you know what?
I personally am not very interested in what a Jewish (and white) Hollywood prince, who has not yet made one significant film in his career, thinks about these issues.
Let him get back to me in a few years, after he's done something remarkable.
or not.
"Malcolm and Marie"
Score: 4