Editor’s note: The views and opinions expressed in this review are solely those of Marlon Wallace and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of WBOC.
Suzanne Allain self-published a novel in 2009. She then adapted the book into a screenplay. That script was read on a podcast in 2015. Filmmaker Emma Holly Jones bought the rights to it and made a short film of it in 2019 as a teaser for a feature. The short film did so well that financing for the feature came through and now we have this period piece set in 1800’s England. It’s in the same vein as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice but it has a gimmick and a premise that is very much akin to many Hollywood romantic comedies. It gives the film a hook and a potentially entertaining flow, but I was confused as to what Allain and Jones were trying to say about the world in this narrative.
There have been plenty of stories and real-life examples of women who come up with a list of qualities for a man that he needs to have in order to date the woman or eventually marry her. It’s a checklist for what women want in a husband. There are plenty of people, both men and women, who have such a checklist for what they want in a mate or partner. That checklist could include physical attributes, personality traits or socioeconomic positions or statuses. Recently, meaning in the mid to late 20th century, this idea of women having a checklist, one that has been literally written down, has been more prominent. This film posits that what if instead of a woman, it was a man who had a literal checklist, written down on paper, for which he used to find a wife.
Sope Dirisu (Mothering Sunday and His House) stars as Jeremiah Malcolm, the son of an Earl. Jeremiah doesn’t himself have a title. Yet, he does have a bit of wealth because his maternal aunt left him a sizable fortune and a large country house in Kent, England. People know that he’s rich and as such, there are plenty of women who would love to be with him and marry him for his money. Because of this, Jeremiah decided to be careful whom he chooses for his wife. He came up with a secret list of requirements that the woman has to fulfill, so that he knows she’s not just a gold digger and only with him for his money.
The film suggests that Jeremiah has developed a reputation for his rejecting of a lot of women. The film doesn’t provide sufficient context for this reputation as to understand what the film is trying to say about either Jeremiah or the society at large. For example, I’m not sure how old Jeremiah is in this narrative. Dirisu was 30 during the filming of this feature, so we can perhaps assume Jeremiah is selfsame. The film isn’t clear when he inherited his fortune, so it’s not clear how long he’s been dealing with this problem. Without that context, it’s not clear if his need for this list is indeed a need or if it’s just an indulgence.
Freida Pinto (Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Slumdog Millionaire) co-stars as Selina Dalton, a woman who lives in the countryside of Sussex, England. She had a job of caretaker for an elderly lady, but that lady passed away. Selina has since moved back home to her parents’ place. She needs another job, which she could probably get. Yet, certain gentlemen keep calling or visiting her, asking for her hand in marriage. These men are older and not to her liking. The film doesn’t provide much context for Selina’s situation, not only in terms of her financial situation but her dating situation. In real-life, Pinto was 36 when shooting this film. If we are to assume Selina is also in her mid 30’s, then it begs the question why a woman her age in this time period hasn’t found a husband or isn’t already being courted by someone. It’s not a bad thing that she isn’t married or being courted, but the film never examines where her head is on the matter prior to her meeting Jeremiah.
The reason she meets him is because her friend, Julia Thistlewaite, played by Zawe Ashton (Velvet Buzzsaw and Greta), invites her to London. When Julia finds out about Jeremiah’s list, she becomes offended because she doesn’t live up to his standards. Julia then decides to have Selina pretend to be the perfect match for Jeremiah, only to dump him, as he has apparently dumped women before. The film doesn’t provide much context for Jeremiah’s prior relationships, so we have no idea of how justified Julia is for doing this. Obviously, deceiving Jeremiah for the purpose of breaking his heart is wrong, but Hollywood romantic comedies are notorious for these kind of premises that are about someone deceiving another.
The irony is that Julia didn’t need to come up with this deception. Jeremiah’s list hasn’t yet provided him a wife. The film suggests that he wasn’t ever going to find one at the rate he was going. The film never addresses why though. Based on what we see as the requirements on his list, he could’ve found someone in London without that much difficulty. It’s not as if the things on his list are so unreasonable or impossible to find. The fact that he hasn’t doesn’t seem to be addressed. Either Jeremiah’s requirements are too strict or Jeremiah is just himself too picky, but the film never sells how strict his requirements are or how picky Jeremiah is that would make me think how necessary any of this is.
The ending of this film is meant to underscore that his list isn’t necessary but the film never underscores why Jeremiah thought his list was necessary or what his perception was of women in society at large. There is a scene where we see Jeremiah with his mother, Lady Kilbourne, played by Doña Croll. The scene suggests that his standards come from his mother and that he’s searching for someone like her. His mother is aware of his list, but the idea that she hasn’t had a conversation with him about the list prior to the ending of this film seems preposterous.
Rated PG for smoking and mild language.
Running Time: 1 hr. and 55 mins.
In theaters.
