 |
| Image Source |
Year: 2018
Rating: R
Running Time: 1 hour, 59 minutes
Lady Sarah Marlborough is the best friend and 'favorite' of Queen Anne, giving her strong political sway being so close to the Queen's ear. When Sarah's cousin Abigail comes to work for her, Abigail starts to endear herself to the Queen and tries to usurp Sarah as the favorite, setting off a frenzy of political maneuvering to sway Queen Anne to their political favor.
 |
| "You don't need me as an enemy." (Image Source) |
It is clear that women can be every bit as cutthroat and conniving as men when it comes to struggling for power and influence. "The Favourite" is directed by Yorgos Lanthimos, who has helmed other movies like "Dogtooth," "The Lobster," and "The Killing of a Sacred Deer." It is written by Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara. The story takes place in the late 18th century during the reign of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman). Queen Anne has been very ill and often suffers from mental instability, leaving her frequently indisposed. Her best friend and closest advisor Lady Sarah Marlborough (Rachel Weisz) often rules in the Queen's stead and is a bit of a hawk when it comes to war and foreign relations. When Sarah's cousin Abigail (Emma Stone), a former lady-turned-commoner, comes to Sarah looking for employment, Sarah gives her a job in the kitchen at first but eventually takes her on as a personal maid. Sarah starts to teach Abigail how to be more ruthless when it comes to getting what she wants, but Abigail hardly needs these lessons as she has already begun her quest to endear herself to the Queen. This opens an opportunity for Sarah's political rivals to try and usurp her policies and have Abigail push their agenda instead.
 |
| "There's always a price to pay. I am prepared to pay it." (Image Source) |
"The Favourite" is glorious. The first thing you will notice when watching this film is the beautifully intricate sets and the absolutely stunning costumes. The amount of detail that went into every thread of every outfit and every inch of decor on-set is unquestionably astounding. The hair and makeup work are gorgeous as well. After you're done fawning over the elegant aesthetic, the next thing you will notice is the hilarious rapier wit in the sharp, biting dialogue. Davis and McNamara have delivered an absolutely brilliant, darkly funny script that we totally loved. It is utterly fantastic. And what would a fabulous script be without amazing performances to deliver each word perfectly? Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are tremendous in their roles, and both show a powerful and ruthless nature where they have no trouble stepping on anyone who gets in their way. Both of these performances are Oscar-worthy, but the real star of the show is Olivia Colman, who is nothing short of masterful as Queen Anne. Colman gets lost in her performance as a royal leader with ever-changing manic-depressive tendencies.
 |
| "So you are perhaps too kind for your own good." (Image Source) |
"The Favourite" is one of our favorite films of the year. Even BigJ, who has been left unimpressed with Lathimos's previous offerings, wound up loving this movie. That being said, it is a dark comedy full of many rather unlikable characters. There is really no one to root for since each character does terrible things all the time for their own selfish gain. This is not a problem for us, though others may be off-put by it. We do believe this is director Yorgos Lanthimos's most accessible film to date. We also think it will be Oscar-nominated in numerous categories, including best picture. We hope you get the chance to see this deliciously devilish movie sooner rather than later.
BigJ's Rating: 9/10
IMDB's Rating: ~8.1/10
RT Rating: ~94%
Do we recommend this movie: ABSOLUTELY YES!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment