Mr Malcolm’s List
Cert PG | Out Friday | ★★★★✩

Freida Pinto shines in this small budget adaptation of American writer Suzanne Allain’s 2009 self-published novel of the same name.

In it, the Slumdog Millionaire star plays a young woman in 19th-century England who falls for the charms of a wealthy bachelor whilst attempting to help her best friend get revenge after being spurned by the young man.

Adapted to the screen by Allain herself, this debut feature from Emma Holly Jones also stars Sope Dirisu (Gangs of London), Zawe Ashton (Dreams of a Life, Velvet Buzzsaw, The Handmaid’s Tale) and Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Invisible Man). Like Bridgerton or The Personal History of David Copperfield, the film features a commendably colour-blind cast with several main characters being played by actors of colour.

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Frieda Pinto

Clergyman’s daughter Selina Dolton (Pinto) and aristocrat Julia Thistlewaite (Ashton) have been friends since they were at boarding school together. So when scheming Julia begs her friend for help to get revenge for being rejected by the elusive Jeremy Malcolm (Dirisu), Selina is only too happy to help.

Armed with the knowledge that the wealthy Mr Malcom has compiled a list of attributes and qualities which any woman he is to marry must have, Julia and her cousin Lord Cassidy (Jackson Cohen) enlist the help of Selina in the hope that Jeremy might be seduced by her charm and beauty. Predicably, things go awry for Julia when Selina confesses to having real feelings for Jeremy and vice versa.

Emma Holly Jones delivers a gorgeously acted comedy of errors which, despite its clearly contrived storyline, still manages to showcase some truly outstanding performances from all involved.

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Theo James

Of course it’s all very unoriginal but that’s kind of the point. In fact there is something courageous about a film which doesn’t purport to be anything beyond the well-established genre it seeks to emulate.

And while the writing and the twists follow an almost by-the-numbers Regency romance style, Jones is still able to put her own stamp on the proceedings.

Mr Malcolm’s List may not feature the most original denouement, nor does its storyline have anything new to say about the era’s archaic class system, but there is something about its unabashedly overt homage to Jane Austen that feels both authentic and disarmingly charming.

Hardly earth-shattering, but an appealing, enjoyable watch nevertheless.