Austen-era schemes, dreams fill this comedy of manners
“It is a truth universally acknowledged,” goes one of the more famous opening lines in English literature, “that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”
That’s Jane Austen, beginning her 1813 “Pride and Prejudice.” Austen herself has nothing to do with “Mr. Malcolm’s List,” the clever, entertaining and delectably pretty new film starring Freida Pinto — but also everything. It’s our collective thirst for such Regency-era “comedies of manners,” examining the matchmaking activity of a certain level of British society, that has given rise to this, TV’s “Bridgerton” and other films too numerous to name.
There’s one key element in which “Mr. Malcolm’s List,” a story of love, friendship and revenge, diverges from previous Regency-era comedies (but aligns with “Bridgerton”): its diverse casting. Director Emma Holly Jones, working from a script (and novel) by Suzanne Allain, has said she was inspired by Broadway’s “Hamilton,” in which American history’s characters are portrayed by a non-white cast.
Here, the cast is led by British Nigerian actor Sope Dirisu as the titular Mr. Malcolm, Zawe Ashton as the scheming Julia, and Pinto as the noble Selina, who serves as a reluctant pawn in this triangular tale. All three are excellent, but Ashton is particularly mesmerizing. Supporting roles are ably filled, especially by an appealing Oliver Jackson-Cohen in the best friend role as Julia’s cousin, and a ridiculously dashing Theo James as, well, a ridiculously dashing captain.
Marriage is the only goal here — and everyone knows it, even the child versions of Julia and Selina. Selina, the daughter of a country vicar, notes that she has little means to offer an eventual husband. Julia promises she will find Selina a mate — once her own marriage has been secured.
Sixteen years later, we’re in 1818 London and Julia’s on the hunt. She manages to wrangle a date with wealthy Jeremy Malcolm, the town’s most eligible bachelor. But at the opera, he tests her knowledge. She knows nothing about opera, nor can she answer his question about the Corn Laws.
Things really get bad for Julia when an unflattering comic sketch, or caricature, circulates in the press — a sort of Regency-era social media diss — showing her being spurned by Jeremy. She consults her cousin Cassidy, who’s friends with Jeremy and lets on that the wealthy bachelor has an actual list of qualifications for an eventual bride.
Julia hatches a plan:
She will groom a willing candidate to fit all Jeremy’s qualifications, and then, once he’s ready to propose, give the snobbish man a taste of his own medicine.
Enter Selina, who’s beautiful and intelligent if not wealthy. Julia brings her for an extended stay in London. Reluctantly, Selina agrees to the scheme, but soon discovers Jeremy is not the insufferable snob Julia has described. In fact, he’s a sweet and thoughtful man, justifiably wary of fortune-hungry schemers (rather like Julia).
Clearly, as the couple slowly falls in love, there will be tears and missed signals and misunderstandings.
But in an Austenesque world, matches are ultimately made, of course.
It’s certainly relaxing to visit a time when things were so simple — at least, in screenplays. How calming to spend two hours absolutely knowing, to paraphrase an English writer of a different era, that all will be well that ends well.
MPAA rating: PG (some smoking and mild language) Running time: 1:57
Where to watch: In theaters