Like the couple being depicted, this film has its problems, and it might be smarter if everyone walked away.
Photo Credit: Netflix
When filmmaker Malcolm (John David Washington) forgets to thank his girlfriend Marie (Zendaya) in his speech after his movie premiere, their evening and their relationship take a turn.
The film was shot during the COVID 19 pandemic, hence why the cast is only two people and takes place in only one place to prevent the spread of the virus.
While the plot is an interesting and enjoyable way to reveal the inner workings of a relationship than your typical romance film, the dialogue leaves much to be desired, and that's putting it nicely.
For example, when Marie finally reveals to Malcolm why she's upset, Malcolm gaslights her and replies:
“It’s psychotic to think that forgetting to thank you is symbolic of anything other than me legitimately forgetting to f—ing thank you,” Malcolm explains.
This leads to two problems. For one, who talks like that? Who speaks like to anyone really but especially to the person they're in a relationship with? The dialogue was messy and unrealistic, and since this was a film that was all about the conversation between two people...it made the movie hard to watch.
The second problem...this really isn't a romance movie. That typically wouldn't be a problem, but it's what the film has been promoted as. It's even been added to a few "Valentine's Day Movies" watch list. But the dialogue between this chaotic couple is emotional abuse at worse and gaslighting at best. The only romantic reason to watch is to see what not to do in a relationship, and again...that's if you can get past the crappy dialogue.
However, Zendaya and John David Washington are still incredible to watch, and quite frankly, they are the only reason to watch. I wish "Euphoria" creator Sam Levinson had stayed far away from this script, and I hope Zendaya and John get to work together on a much better film in the future.
Grade: 2.0