Rico's Thoughts - The Favourite

The monarchy of England is usually shown, in film, as an uptight, stuffy society in which every sentence is spoken in the Queen’s English, as it flows as a flowery poem. What makes The Favourite stand out is that it allows comedy to shine and the women in this film bring their A-game.

With England at war with France, Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) is the ruler of the kingdom while her confidant Lady Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) plays puppeteer. Anne is sick and is prone to lash out in fits of anger. Sarah’s plans are well set, until the arrival of her cousin, Abigail Masham (Emma Stone), who is not as naive as she let’s on to be.

Everyone brings their best to their respective roles, with Colman’s Queen Anne being the stand out. Highly temperamental, Anne is shown to be an egotistical child, one who needs all the attention but then becomes highly insecure once it arrives. Colman’s character is played, for the most part, as a comedic farce, respected only for the crown that sits on her head, and it is a pure joy. Her chemistry with both Weisz and Stone, is fantastic to watch, as it sways between anger, laughter and intimacy among the trio.

Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are perfect foils for one another, each being able to push the right buttons on the other. The tension in their rivalry is palpable, growing from an apprenticeship that Sarah doesn’t realize is a stepping stone for Abigail until it’s too late. Both Sarah and Abigail use their charm and sexuality in gaining favor with the Queen, each for their own gains. Sarah is fighting behind the scenes to protect her husband, a commander in the military who is fighting the war. Abigail wants the proper title of lady, which comes with land and money.

Each moment Stone and Weisz are on screen together is gripping and funny. Incredibly gifted with comedic timing, they are both enjoying every moment of this incredible script. Another stand out is Nicholas Hoult, an antagonist to Sarah’s schemes, who steals every moment he’s on screen and is not getting enough praise for his role.

Director Yorgos Lanthimos takes the nihilistic humor from his film The Lobster, and refines it for a more accepted comedic approach in The Favourite, showing an aristocratic society that is eccentric in nature. Lanthimos does not shy away from the strange or the absurd, as in one moment they could be holding a duck race in the middle of the grand hall and the next, pelting a naked man with oranges for their amusement. It’s an absurd view at a people who most people would consider to be refined.

4.5/5 Stars