When we thought we couldn’t get enough of the steamy regency romance that’s captivated our hearts for the last two months, things just got a whole lot better for historical romance fans like me. Introducing Mr. Malcolm’s List, coming out in July 2022, that takes the ridiculousness of London’s marriage season to unfathomable new lengths. Set in 1818 London, the film portrays the plight of a rich bachelor earl with a strict list of requirements for a bride and a penchant for sarcastic humor. Remind you of any of the characters from Bridgerton?
One short film version from 2019 of Mr. Malcolm’s List is already out on Youtube (it’s totally worth the 11 minutes). In honor of the upcoming film’s release, let’s take a look at three times from the 2019 film that really reminded me of pretty much every marriage focused historical drama I’ve ever seen:
- Marriage is just a formality
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Mr Malcolm’s List from Giphy To contextualize, a lady had just “accidentally” dropped her purse in front of the walking gentlemen as an “innocent” grab for attention as per usual. I’ll let you guys decide which of the two men is the infamous Mr. Malcolm (somehow I guessed right!), though the film does intentionally make it vague.
I’m not gonna lie, I felt like the scene could just be pasted into Bridgerton with how much Anthony Bridgerton energy I felt from it. Like really man? “Monotonous regularity?” Talk about having your head in the clouds.
- always poking fun at ignorance
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Opera House Scene from Giphy This Malcolm guy is a real joker beyond the facade he puts up in society. Constantly finding ways to ridicule his “dates,” or the ladies trying to court his favor, he always seems to be down for a good roast session. In this scene, he roasts one of the ladies courting her on her ignorance in the realms of classical music as well as having no idea what the current events are in the country. To be fair she did think the “Corn Laws” were about dieting on corn so I don’t fully blame him.
- Mr Malcolm’s list for a bride
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House Scene with Julia from Giphy In this scene, Julia Thistlewaite, played by Gemma Chan, is trying to court Mr. Malcolm presumably for the status and finances. She finds out about her rejection because of not meeting the “fourth requirement” on his list. Even though we’re never told what exactly it is that we’re looking for, we can probably surmise it has something to do with, well, being smart. The trope of male lead characters rejecting female prospects over supposed “intelligence” has been tried and tested so many times, that I’m not even surprised anymore. I am, however, curious about where this plot twist leads. Will she be able to court Mr. Malcolm in the end anyway? So many questions!
Though the new Mr. Malcolm’s List is set to star a completely different cast from the short, I think watching the short film gave me a good foray into the world of Mr. Malcolm and made me excited for the new movie’s release! I mean who doesn’t want to see a snide titular character find a way to fall in love? Do you all think this movie can live up to the legacy put forth by Bridgerton in the last few months? I have my fingers crossed!