Unpredictability Used to Its Best in Marmalade (2024)

You have to listen to every part of a story.

Marmalade escaped prison and was released to theaters in 2024. Baron is sent to jail for his involvement in a heist with his wacky and alluring love interest. He narrates the colorful tale to his cellmate as he tries to figure out where everything went wrong.

Unpredictability is the best route to take. This movie had me fooled so many times! Marmalade is a funny and twisted film. I miss this type of comedy. It’s not the same movie on a second watch.

Joe Keery, famous for playing the charming and witty Steve Harrington in Stranger Things, plays Baron. This was my first time seeing him in other media. Keery looks like he’s playing the same role, but Baron has other plans. Keery conducted notable nuances to this character with his trademark comedy.

All the characters in Marmalade are not who you think they are. Aldris Hodge is another talented actor. As Baron’s cellmate, Otis, he is very excited to hear his story. He interrupts on several occasions, but not for reasons you’d think.

As the lovably odd Marmalade, Camila Morrone gives this character life. I have not seen Morrone in any other media. Morrone has a ball with this character, using physical energy and donning a funny personality. Keery and Morrone’s chemistry is quirky and unpredictable, becoming the new Bonnie and Clyde.

And that’s the word to describe this film. I was genuinely surprised by the story’s twists. Keir O’Donnell wrote and directed Marmalade. The film is very well done. His storytelling is more layered than the film initially appears. Every assumption you make leads to genuine surprises.

Spending five years writing the script, O’Donnell focused on the characters, feeling like they resonated with him the most. He made this film with an 80s atmosphere because those are the films he loved while growing up. O’Donnell knew first and foremost that he wanted his story to center around a heist.

Movies need to do this more often. This is the type of comedy that I like. Too many films rely on predictable tropes, but Marmalade plays with the audience. O’Donnell’s direction is stylish, embracing the film’s offbeat energy.

The way he structured the story, jumping between past and present, keeps the momentum alive. He also juggled between various ideas, testing out different scenarios. That’s what every writer needs to do. What if a new idea sets the story in a direction you never thought of?

Editing plays more of a role in movies than you think, influencing the story or leading to some of the best comical moments. One scene that had me laughing was Otis interrupting Baron’s story, only to reveal him sitting on the toilet. Prison may be a serious setting, but you can still have fun with it.

As always, after every movie I watch, I look up behind-the-scenes stories. Surprisingly, I haven’t found much on the making of this film. According to Hodge, Marmalade took a while to start filming. The cast had a fun time working with ‘O’Donnell, who allowed his actors to improvise.

O’Donnell also thought about his audience, a key component when making movies. Who are you making this for? He wanted viewers to have fun with Marmalade. I had fun watching it. I’m looking forward to showing the movie to friends and watching their reactions.

Here’s my advice: if you’re going to watch Marmalade (2024), just start it up and don’t look up anything about it. It’s a well-needed comedy to distract you from reality.