Freida Pinto in Mr. Malcolm’s List (Ross Ferguson/Bleecker Street)

There are no surprises in Mr. Malcolm’s List. If you are at all familiar with Regency romances, you will find many of the usual boxes checked. But fortunately for fans of the genre, this period piece, directed with a sure hand by Emma Holly Jones, is closer to a bright, airy soufflé than a stolid pudding.

In Suzanne Allain’s adaptation of her novel, Mr. Malcolm (Sopé Dirisù), a handsome, wealthy bachelor, searches for a wife, and beautiful, haughty Julia Thistlewaite (Zawe Ashton) believes she is the perfect match. But to Julia’s horror, Mr. Malcolm does not call on her again after one night at the opera, and his quick dismissal turns into a public humiliation for her. Furious, Julia enlists her cousin Lord Cassidy (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) to find out what went wrong, but what he discovers makes her even angrier: It turns out that Mr. Malcolm has a list of qualifications for his ideal wife, and Julia did not meet them. Julia is determined to get revenge on Mr. Malcom by turning her friend Selina (Freida Pinto), a poor clergyman’s daughter from the country, into the woman who will check every box on his list—and then turn him down. Of course, her scheme doesn’t turn out as expected.

So yes, Mr. Malcolm’s List, is filled with tropes of the genre: rules of society that can lead to devastating consequences if flouted, gorgeous gowns, London townhouses, and grand country estates. But the movie is better than it has to be. The idea of the man who thinks he can find a spouse with a checklist has a very 21st-century feel to it, like the tech billionaire who believes that everything can be quantified and gamed out with an algorithm.

Jones keeps the tightly plotted story moving along briskly. Dirisù gives Mr. Malcolm the right mix of elegance and arrogance, but he can also open up when realizes the error of his ways. The multitalented Ashton is very funny as spoiled, bossy Julia. If one wants to think deeper about the genre, it would be to wonder what someone with her planning capabilities could accomplish if encouraged to think beyond the simple goal of marrying well. Pinto fits the role of the beautiful woman who can stand up for herself quite well (since Selina does think of things beyond marrying well, yes, we can wonder what else she could have accomplished). The comic MVP might be Jackson-Cohen, whose Lord Cassidy still seems to be as terrified of his cousin Julia as he was the first time she shoved him off a swing. Theo James is appropriately dashing as a former army captain who becomes involved in the marriage-go-round, and Ashley Park has the right amount of silliness for the standard Regency character of “that relative who talks too much.” Finally, Divian Ladwa steals scenes as a put-upon servant who is well aware that his betters aren’t superior to him at all.

Production values are high, as you would expect, with beautiful gowns, manicured London parks, and lush country gardens. My biggest criticism would be that one relationship moves in leaps and bounds and doesn’t seem to be built on much. (I don’t want to say which one.) But it’s a romance, and the main goal is to get everyone to the marriage finish line. In the end, if you like Regency romances, Mr. Malcolm’s List is a fine example of the genre and a pleasant way to pass time.