Zendaya’s Worst-Rated Lead Is the Hidden Gem You’re Missing

Zendaya keeps being the headline in blockbuster worlds and HBO dramas, but one of her best swings is the prickly little two-hander she made in lockdown with John David Washington. If you skipped Malcolm & Marie back in 2021 because the chatter was loud and weird, here’s the quick, no-BS download.

What the movie actually is

Sam Levinson, the guy behind Euphoria, wrote and directed Malcolm & Marie, a deliberately stripped-down, black-and-white relationship drama. It was billed as one of the first features conceived, financed, and shot start-to-finish during the early COVID shutdown, and it leans into that limitation: two actors, one location, one long night.

Washington plays Malcolm Elliot, a writer-director coming home from the premiere of his latest film. Zendaya is Marie Jones, his girlfriend. The entire movie is essentially their argument about love, power, credit, and ego unfolding in real time. It is dialogue-heavy by design, and the minimalist cinematography and sound work are doing a lot—those choices amplify their highs and lows without distractions.

How it plays

At its best, this thing is a pressure cooker. Both stars dig into raw, bruised feelings, and the black-and-white look sharpens the focus on faces, not scenery. It also pokes at something thornier: a Black filmmaker’s fight for representation and recognition inside an industry that can box you in. When the script veers into those industry specifics, some viewers connected; others felt like the conversation got a little inside-the-industry and left a few thoughts hanging.

The reception, in plain terms

This is where audiences split. Some people saw a nuanced, boldly staged relationship autopsy. Others bounced off the pacing and the repetition—two people unloading on each other in one house can feel stretched if you’re not into that rhythm. The script was dinged for not always moving the story forward, and the single-location gambit tested patience for a few folks.

Numbers-wise: Rotten Tomatoes sits at 57%, with the consensus basically saying the film’s big ambitions don’t always land, but the Zendaya/Washington chemistry saves a lot of it. IMDb? 6.6/10. Small movie, small budget too—about $2.5 million.

The age-gap conversation

Zendaya was 24 here, and for once she was playing someone close to her real age instead of a teenager. Washington was 36. The 12-year gap bugged some viewers, especially because the material is so adult and intimate. Washington actually addressed it head-on. His take was pretty simple: she’s more than capable, and he was learning from her.

"People are going to see in this film how much of a woman she is. She has far more experience than I do in the industry. I’ve only been in it for seven years. She’s been in it longer, so I’m learning from her. I’m the rookie. I was leaning on her for a lot."

Either way, the performance helped cement Zendaya’s pivot into more adult work, and she picked up a Best Actress nomination at the 26th Critics’ Choice Awards for it.

• Director: Sam Levinson
• Cast: Zendaya (Marie Jones), John David Washington (Malcolm Elliot)
• Producers: Kevin Turen, Ashley Levinson, Sam Levinson, Zendaya, John David Washington, Scott Mescudi
• Format: Black-and-white, single-location, very dialogue-forward
• Budget: $2.5 million
• Scores: Rotten Tomatoes 57%, IMDb 6.6/10
• Context: Conceived and produced during the early COVID lockdown
• Where to watch: Streaming now on Netflix

Bottom line

If you’re into performance-first, talky relationship sparring with a sharp aesthetic, Malcolm & Marie is absolutely worth your night. If you need plot turns and movement, this will feel like two brilliant actors doing emotional mixed martial arts in a box—impressive, but not your speed. For Zendaya, though, it’s a crucial showcase that too many people slept on.