2024 just started, and even still we already have one of the most unique and entertaining features of the year. Stranger Things breakout Joe Keery certainly knows how to pick them. Marmalade emerges as a semi-hybrid genre mixture, carefully blending crime, comedy, romance, and drama to intoxicating effect. As with Spree before it, Marmalade allows Keery a performative playground to go places he has never been before. In this case, greasy-haired mousy simpleton Baron has multiple layers and plenty of unconventional outfits. A zippy, cleverly-scripted delight, Marmalade commits the ultimate heist of the heart.
As the film begins, Baron gets escorted to his new home: a jail cell, with judgmental roommate, Otis (Aldis Hodge, The Invisible Man, One Night in Miami). Interestingly enough, Otis claims to have escaped prison multiple times. If Otis can channel his expertise into helping Baron bust out, $250,000 cash will be waiting on the other side. Baron recollects the Bonnie & Clyde story of his one true love, Marmalade (Camila Morrone, Death Wish, Daisy Jones & The Six), and how they managed to pull off a bank heist.
Surprisingly enough, writer/director Kier O’Donnell makes his feature debut with Marmalade. Considering how much time O’Donnell has spent in front of the camera, he certainly has a knack for stylish visuals and smart dialogue. We follow along on Baron’s journey, off the back of a potentially unreliable narrator. At first, it seems as if Marmalade will be one’s standard run-of-the-mill crime caper told almost exclusively through flashback. Baron’s motivations in agreeing to rob banks to make money for his dying mother’s medication are relatable, while the twists and turns (particularly during the final act) color the flick with bright and varied textures.
Marmalade herself has quite the abrasive personality. Her relationship with Baron molds the movie into what it eventually becomes. Chemistry between Morrone and Keery is perfectly splendid, yet the interludes and unfolding potential jail break featuring Keery and Hodge manage to steal the show. They each play well off the other’s energy—Otis constantly interrupts when details don’t make sense, leading to hilarious moments such as when he laments that Marmalade must have “golden titties or something” due to Baron’s obsession. Performances are strong across the board. Keery however really steals the show, and seems destined to become a viral gif.
Marmalade manages to flip the script in major ways not once but twice. Both times the mic drops are equally shocking, and pulled off delicately. As the audience becomes privy to more information about the core trio of characters, the pieces of the puzzle begin sliding carefully into place. The orchestration of the slightly complex narrative really leaves an imprint, and left me desperate to revisit this colorful world and its characters. Expecting a more standard crime drama would be a moot point. Just like Marmalade says, “when the system fails you, make your own system!”
Dip your fingers into the sweet delights of Marmalade, in theaters and on demand on Friday, February 9th.
