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After all, much of great cinema rests on the sparks that develop between two actors in a room.
Malcolm & Marieis a failure on nearly every level.
WhenMalcolm & Mariebegins, its evident the titular characters exist in different rhythms.
She has a mien that reads as sullen, bored, and utterly over it.
Theitbeing him and his prickly, delicate ego.
Marie doesnt want to talk, preferring instead to fuss over boxed mac and cheese likes its high cuisine.
But he pushes, and the hurts theyve kept a tally of unfurl.
Shes upset he didnt thank her in his speech that night.
But this concern obscures an even deeper one.
And shes not okay with this uneven dynamic.
Audiences unaware of Levinsons relationship with criticism wont suffer from not understanding this.)
Its such a heavy-handed decision, a grasping at profundity, limning Washingtons alarming limitations as an actor.
He seems unable to wrap his mouth around the overloaded, rapid-fire dialogue.
Zendaya doesnt fare much better.
Im not sureanytwo actors could save the film from its own overwrought script and grand self-importance.
Whats crucial to the character is his anger.
Fifteen minutes into the film Malcolm calls Marie crazy.
Hes responding to her distress and rightful fury resulting from his slight at the premiere.
Merely uttering this word seems to open up an avalanche of cruelty.
It isnt that Marie doesnt lob her own venomous remarks back his way.
They fight viciously, they scream, they yearn for the other, only to wind up fighting again.
When I met you, you were a pilled-out disaster.
You were barely 20 years old.
Couldnt hold a conversation without nodding off or passin out or breaking down, he exclaims.
Hes bringing the ghost of the old her back into their relationship.
Stars can speak to the existential, emotional, interpersonal mores that guide our lives.
Zendaya makes a worthwhile case study, a Disney kid turned Hollywood powerhouse on the come-up.
After years of playing teenagers, she is transitioning to more wholly developed, adult roles.
Despite how much the character champions her own authenticity, Zendaya herself cant communicate this quality.
Her decisions are obvious enough to feel them coming on.
She smokes cigarettes like the parody of French actors youd expect in a midcentury Looney Tunes sketch.
Theres an air just before crucial lines like shes clearing her throat before a big speech.
But neither does the script.
He keeps peering down the hallway, clearly wondering what Marie is doing in another room.
He eats like a child without impulse control, fork scraping the bottom of the bowl incessantly.
I am actually concerned for your mental well-being.
The argument spirals from there.
This line is, on its face, utterly ridiculous.
Malcolm & Marieis clearly taking cues from works likeWhos Afraid of Virginia Woolf?(1966).
But watching these movies is a profound experience.
Films like this burnish our curiosity.Malcolm and Marienullifies it.
Its a closed circuit, an ouroboros.
It needs to have a heart and electricity.
Its a shame the creators behindMalcolm & Mariedidnt realize the film has neither.
