Mr. Malcolm's List

Rejected by Mr. Malcolm (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) for failing to meet his lengthy list of wifely requirements, Julia (Zawe Ashton) recruits her friend Selina (Freida Pinto) for an elaborate plan to exact revenge in this Regency-era romantic comedy.

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. But after being burned one too many times by women seeking only his money, Mr. Malcolm (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) has developed a long list of requirements that must be met by any potential bride. When Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) fails to fulfill No. 4 — “converses in a sensible fashion” — the miffed maiden recruits her school friend from the country, Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto), in a scheme to give the gentleman a taste of his own medicine. Fashioning herself into the perfect match for the picky Mr. Malcolm, Selina sets out to seduce the man into a proposal, plotting to dash his hopes by announcing that he does not meet her requirements. But as their plan unfolds, Selina grows unsure if her feelings for the eligible bachelor are still a charade, or if they are becoming real.

Lush with sumptuous costumes and vibrant balls, this Regency-era romantic comedy directed by Emma Holly Jones and based on the novel by Suzanne Allain (who also wrote the screenplay) proves that true love abides by no list or scheme.