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Malcolm & Marie | 2021 | R | – 5.3.10
Why is “Malcolm & Marie” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “pervasive language, and sexual content.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes several passionate kissing scenes that end before any sexual activity takes place, an apparent threat with a knife, many arguments with bitter exchanges between a man and a woman throughout the movie, and over 230 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.
After the successful premier of his movie, a filmmaker and his girlfriend (John David Washington and Zendaya) return to their home to realize that the success of the evening does not minimize several serious issues threatening their relationship. Directed by Sam Levinson. [Running Time: 1:46]
Malcolm & Marie SEX/NUDITY 5
– A man kisses a woman’s foot, they kiss on a bed, she straddles him, kisses down his chest and his clothed crotch and she unfastens his pants; they then stop and argue. A woman lies on top of a man on the floor, they kiss, he carries her to a rug, they lie down together continuing to kiss and the man leaves to go to the bathroom. A man kisses a woman’s neck, shoulders and down her bare back, lifts her skirt, kisses her bare buttocks, turns her around and kisses her underwear-covered crotch.
► A man and a woman kiss in a few scenes. A man holds a woman and they talk briefly before they kiss; they tussle and kiss and she lies back on a sofa, and he kisses her leg, lies on top of her and they kiss and talk.
► A woman accuses a man of sexualizing a moment in a movie. A woman says that she had sex with a man’s friends. A man asks a woman if he can kiss her and she says, “No.” A man tells a woman that she looked gorgeous and sexy at a movie premier and after party.
► A woman sits in a bathtub and we see her partial breast at the side. A woman wears a dress that has cut out openings that reveal cleavage, bare abdomen, her back and her upper thighs. A woman wears a tank top and underwear that reveal legs to the hips and the outline of the nipples through the fabric is evident. A man is shirtless in a couple of scenes and we see his bare chest, abdomen and back.
► A man urinates in a toilet in a couple of scenes and we hear the stream. A woman sits on a toilet (we do not hear anything) and we see her bare upper thighs.
Malcolm & Marie VIOLENCE/GORE 3
– A woman comes into a room carrying a butcher knife and says that she is looking for pills, that she is not doing well and that she doesn’t plan to get clean; she moves toward a man sitting on the floor and he seems frightened (she puts the knife down and leaves the room).
► A man and a woman talk about their evening together, and why the woman is angry; the arguments ebb and flow throughout the film. A man yells at a woman and says he is worried about her mental wellbeing. A woman yells at a man for belittling her. A woman remarks about a man not noticing someone until he is about to lose them. A man lies back on the floor when a woman starts to argue with him. A woman accuses a man of stealing material from her life for a movie. A man tells a woman, “I can snap you like a twig,” during an argument. A man accuses a woman of needing to justify her existence. A man accuses a woman of self-sabotage. A man and a woman each yell at each other and say, “I hate you.”
► A man calls for a woman and searches inside and outside a house for her; he cannot find her and we see her coming out from behind a tree. A man paces and fights with himself (punching and kicking the air) and yells at himself outside after an argument with a woman. A man talks about having found a woman with a needle in her arm and that he later heard that she ODed and died.
► A woman talks about attempting suicide using a pair of nail scissors to cut her wrists. A man talks about having to work harder than 99% of the people. A man talks about delivering a “knockout punch” with a film he made. A woman tells a man, “Don’t believe the hype.” A woman makes up the title of a movie a man might make in the future and calls it, “40 Legos and a Mule.” A man remarks about a woman putting on a “white voice.” A man talks about a woman writing about a “white savior trope” in a movie review. A man says that he prays that a movie reviewer gets carpal tunnel syndrome.
Malcolm & Marie LANGUAGE 10
– At least 238 F-words and its derivatives, 2 obscene hand gestures, 5 sexual references, 71 scatological terms, 34 anatomical terms, 9 mild obscenities, 6 derogatory terms for Africa-American people, name-calling (Nazi bastard, super white moment, soccer mom, white [anatomical term deleted] writer, elitist, pedantic, dumb, fake, mental patient, obnoxious, stupid, emotional terrorist, grimy, barnyard animal, dramatic, damaged, debased, degraded, clown, broken girl, hurtful, mean, mediocre, lack of curiosity, megalomaniac, egotistical, ungrateful, fraud, intolerable, nuts, neediest man, moronic, lazy, emotionally obtuse, delusional, insane, psychotic, nonsense, stale, radical, hookers and hos, reckless, garbage, nonsensical garbage, bobble head, solipsistic, hyperbolic, pilled-out disaster, sarcastic, crazy, unstable, weird, meek, ugly, slave labor, white girl, masochistic), exclamations (come on, give me a break, shut the [F-word deleted] up, calm down, stop), 2 religious profanities (GD), 7 religious exclamations (e.g. Oh My God, God, Jesus Christ, Thank God, God Forbid). | profanity glossary |
Malcolm & Marie SUBSTANCE USE
– A man talks about a woman being a drug addict and having overdosed and gone to rehab, a man talks about a woman looking for her “xannies,” and a woman talks about her addiction and fighting to stay clean. A man pours himself several glasses of whiskey at home and appears to be drunk. A woman smokes cigarettes outside a house in several scenes, a man smokes in one scene and a woman takes the cigarette away from him.
Malcolm & Marie DISCUSSION TOPICS
– Mental health issues, addiction, racism, filmmaking, politics in movies, guilt, success and failure, mystery, identity politics, fear, control, shame, privilege, insecurity, ego, respect, systematic racism, truth, lying, rehab, attempted suicide, love and hate.
Malcolm & Marie MESSAGE
– The line between love and hate is rather thin.
CAVEATS
Be aware that while we do our best to avoid spoilers it is impossible to disguise all details and some may reveal crucial plot elements.
We've gone through several editorial changes since we started covering films in 1992 and older reviews are not as complete & accurate as recent ones; we plan to revisit and correct older reviews as resources and time permits.
Our ratings and reviews are based on the theatrically-released versions of films; on video there are often Unrated, Special, Director's Cut or Extended versions, (usually accurately labelled but sometimes mislabeled) released that contain additional content, which we did not review.
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We are a totally independent website with no connections to political, religious or other groups & we neither solicit nor choose advertisers. You can help us keep our independence with a donation.
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Become a member of our premium site for just $2/month & access advance reviews, without any ads, not a single one, ever. And you will be helping support our website & our efforts.
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