If you have seen Bridgerton and The Great, then The Favourite will feel somewhat familiar, serving as an older, slightly more serious sister to both. As with the other examples, Favourite serves as a modernised and largely fictionalised retelling of 18th century regency history, with an emphasis on political machinations, eccentricity, backstabbing, and sex.
To start with the latter, The Favourite is unexpectedly restrained. You might expect a production to go nuts with the prospect of a lesbian love triangle starring Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone, sexing it up as much as possible to act as a primary selling point. But whilst there is a lot of sex in this movie, it is not onscreen. Favourite is far more interested in the plot implications of its gay relationships than gratuitous spectacle. This is not a romance movie either, it is ambiguous whether anyone in this movie loves anyone else more than themselves. The political machinations, eccentricity and backstabbing I mentioned previously, they are the true emphasis.
Favourite feels unique, presenting the power struggle between three formidable women feigning affection for one another; Queen Anne (Olivia Coleman) is a capricious eccentric, her body and mind left in tatters by the loss of her 17 children. She is preyed upon by Duchess Sarah (Rachel Weisz), a domineering confidant, lover, and power behind the throne. The third angle is Abigail (Emma Stone), Sarah's impoverished cousin and scullery maid, who gradually worms her way in between the two.
The fun is in watching a cold war play out between Sarah and Abigail; they can't say they hate each other, so they tell it through passive-aggressive politeness and pranks. Only occasionally does it escalate to beatings and poisonings. Whilst this conflict is oftentimes dramatic and funny, it does mean the movie has a lack of sympathetic characters. Sarah is utterly heartless and Abigail, despite being the underdog, may well have always been a master manipulator. The object of our sympathy is Queen Anne, a frumpy, dejected, childlike individual whose only solace is her many pet rabbits ("crazy cat lady" would be too on the nose). Even Sarah and Abigail feel kind of bad for her, but not enough to stop exploiting her at every opportunity.
Favourite's strength lies in the acting. I could talk about the gorgeous costumes or the movie's weird fondness for fish eye camera lenses, but every other aspect of the movie is drowned out by the booming overture Coleman, Weisz and Stone perform for us. I don't just mean big hammy yelling, the real stand out moments come through incredibly subtle scenes. The final shot of the movie is three minutes of Coleman and Stone not saying a single word, but each monologuing through nothing but their facial expressions. We see five stages of grief play out in just their eyes, as they come to terms with their predicament and realise they have no way out.
Serving the Queen, the Looks, and the Shade.
If you have seen Bridgerton and The Great, then The Favourite will feel somewhat familiar, serving as an older, slightly more serious sister to both. As with the other examples, Favourite serves as a modernised and largely fictionalised retelling of 18th century regency history, with an emphasis on political machinations, eccentricity, backstabbing, and sex.
To start with the latter, The Favourite is unexpectedly restrained. You might expect a production to go nuts with the prospect of a lesbian love triangle starring Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone, sexing it up as much as possible to act as a primary selling point. But whilst there is a lot of sex in this movie, it is not onscreen. Favourite is far more interested in the plot implications of its gay relationships than gratuitous spectacle. This is not a romance movie either, it is ambiguous whether anyone in this movie loves anyone else more than themselves. The political machinations, eccentricity and backstabbing I mentioned previously, they are the true emphasis.
Favourite feels unique, presenting the power struggle between three formidable women feigning affection for one another; Queen Anne (Olivia Coleman) is a capricious eccentric, her body and mind left in tatters by the loss of her 17 children. She is preyed upon by Duchess Sarah (Rachel Weisz), a domineering confidant, lover, and power behind the throne. The third angle is Abigail (Emma Stone), Sarah's impoverished cousin and scullery maid, who gradually worms her way in between the two.
The fun is in watching a cold war play out between Sarah and Abigail; they can't say they hate each other, so they tell it through passive-aggressive politeness and pranks. Only occasionally does it escalate to beatings and poisonings. Whilst this conflict is oftentimes dramatic and funny, it does mean the movie has a lack of sympathetic characters. Sarah is utterly heartless and Abigail, despite being the underdog, may well have always been a master manipulator. The object of our sympathy is Queen Anne, a frumpy, dejected, childlike individual whose only solace is her many pet rabbits ("crazy cat lady" would be too on the nose). Even Sarah and Abigail feel kind of bad for her, but not enough to stop exploiting her at every opportunity.
Favourite's strength lies in the acting. I could talk about the gorgeous costumes or the movie's weird fondness for fish eye camera lenses, but every other aspect of the movie is drowned out by the booming overture Coleman, Weisz and Stone perform for us. I don't just mean big hammy yelling, the real stand out moments come through incredibly subtle scenes. The final shot of the movie is three minutes of Coleman and Stone not saying a single word, but each monologuing through nothing but their facial expressions. We see five stages of grief play out in just their eyes, as they come to terms with their predicament and realise they have no way out.