The Favourite is 18th century royalty as only director Yorgos Lanthimos could present it, and by surrounding himself with incredible women from the page to the screen, they have all crafted a scathingly hilarious comedy of personal and political backstabbing. The story follows one powerful woman – Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) – and two others vying for her affection, gaining and losing power based on their own machinations and the whims of the bratty monarch. Traditional female stereotypes of backstabbing, gossiping, and whining are turned around as conscious weapons these women wield to manipulate each other while lesser, dolled-up men play the role of pitiful tools: used and discarded or kept in waiting until necessary. Overflowing with intelligence, emotion, beauty, and ruthlessness, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz) and Abigail (Emma Stone) juggle power through increasingly hilarious and cruel means. Occasionally cold – in service of the story – but still overflowing with intelligence, beauty, and ruthlessness, The Favourite will keep you laughing hysterically from beginning to end. The film begins with Abigail arriving at the castle of Queen Anne to ask her cousin Lady Sarah for a job/home after falling on hard times. Sarah is essentially controlling the Queen’s kingdom as she understands her royal benefactor better than anyone, anticipating moods and needs but also showing an ability to push back when necessary: something we are shown only Sarah can get away with. Abigail initially appears as a friendly relative and receives a lowly servant job, but she is suddenly in the Queen’s vicinity saying the right thing in the right place at the right time – not by coincidence, but genius plotting – and is rewarded with favor from her superiors. It is quickly clear to Sarah and us that her young cousin is smarter than she lets on though, as Sarah finds herself in a battle for the Queen's affections, realizing her head start is dissipating quickly. Their seemingly polite or subtle digs at each other become less discreet as the fight heats up, eventually infecting the entire palace and Parliament with their duplicitous game. From the second anyone opens their mouth, the dialogue flies a mile a minute, forcing you to immediately catch up and settle in with the old English dialect and inventive language. There is not a wasted word anywhere to be found in the brilliant screenplay by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara, economically moving things forward without ever losing the pace of laughs. Some of the tiny places or methods they find for the characters to take jabs at each other is astonishing as they build each one of these women up in such a way that it makes sense for them to have the motive, education, and creativity to speak and act this way. They have been fighting society their entire lives and will not give up a chance to stay at or rise to the top of the food chain. This is all wrapped in a matter-of-fact vulgarity that is commonplace in Lanthimos’ films but elevated here by being contextualized in this era and setting. While the men are used by the women, they still don’t feel like simple plot devices, these are real characters, they’re just hopelessly outgunned and drastically underestimate both Sarah and Abigail. The screenplay gives voices to these characters, but there’s just as much to be said with every glance. The three actresses at the center of The Favourite are doing impeccable work playing both sides of the hatred and nobility required of them. The camera often lingers on their faces whether they are still and reacting to offscreen action, marching away from someone, or simply plotting in solitude. There are pages of story and some of the biggest laughs found in those moments – always in service of character. Colman’s Queen Anne is not stupid, but she is such a spoiled brat, having been understandably coddled her entire life, as evidenced by her constant gout attacks and indulgent behavior that give us wonderful moments of feasting on cake or exaggerated pain (both physical & emotional). Anything but a passive trophy, Anne's agency goes well beyond whining until she gets what she wants. Being the queen though, that’s typically the quickest way to reach her goal. She clearly enjoys the unpredictability these two women bring to her life and even plays them against each other to benefit herself at certain points, showing she is aware of the fight. It’s a joy to watch Colman work whether she is gently begging for something that can’t be refused or screaming at a servant to stop looking at her immediately after forcing him to look at her. As the dueling cousins, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are playing two sides of the same diabolical coin. Weisz’s Sarah has spent years climbing into her position next to the queen and that confidence brims from her pores in the first couple scenes when she is untouchable and able to say anything to anyone, including the Queen. As she begins to realize she has underestimated Abigail, Weisz does quiet work with her lips, eyes, and intonation. Of course, occasionally having a gun in her hand helps make the intimidation clearer, not that she ever relies on that device to do her job. If I had to single out one actress for being the most in her element, it would be Emma Stone. Maybe it’s because she gets the biggest laughs from her reactions (a very unladylike snort-laugh may be my favorite moment of the whole film) and wry smiles, maybe it’s because her character is the one ahead of everyone else for the first act of the film. As we initially realize her true intentions, nothing is too obvious but it’s still made crystal clear. It’s the juiciest role as Abigail’s initial veil of civility makes her outward transformation more dramatic until she quickly becomes the most brazen of them all – delivering lines with zero f---s given. All of this would not work as well without a bizarre auteur like Yorgos Lanthimos bringing it together. His ability to hold just long enough to get the extra laugh or awkward cringe out of close-ups or small ‘action’ scenes like a duck race, several dances, or Abigail being courted in the woods, is impeccable. There’s some disorienting use of fisheye lenses and slow-motion – including the most bizarre food fight scene you need to see for yourself, but will never be able to unsee – that take away any remaining shred of reality, so your mileage may vary on these techniques. Personally, I loved the reminders that added even more absurdity, providing an extra stylistic joke here and there. It’s a pile-on that fits with the whole ostentatious affair. The rest of the craftspeople bring us into this world through beautifully subdued color, austere costumes & set design, and the makeup/wigs: caked onto men, yet nearly non-existent on the women. The crafts are just slightly off kilter from a standard costume drama, showing that these people are all capable of providing one, but would much rather twist it just enough to maintain a bizarre balancing act. It all comes together to serve the story of three powerful, brilliant, terrible women. The Favourite is quite the ride, and one of the most enjoyably sharp cinema experiences in a while. It combines some of the shade-throwing of Phantom Thread with the rapid-fire insult political fights of In The Loop then condenses that into only a handful of characters and throws it into an 18th century palace. Then blends. It’s bizarre, it’s audacious, it never takes itself too seriously, and it may just be my favorite film of the year.
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