4 stars out of 5
As I’ve stated before, costume dramas aren’t really my thing. But in the past 2.5 years, Yorgos Lanthimos — with The Lobster, The Killing of a Sacred Deer, and Dogtooth (which I saw on home video) — has quickly become one of my fave filmmakers. Plus, we all know my feelings about Emma Stone. So I set out to overcome my prejudice against pre-20th-century stories.
I didn’t know until after seeing this film that, unlike his previous efforts, Lanthimos did not write The Favourite. In retrospect it makes total sense, because this is not nearly as dark as his other films. Which should be a relief to those who were put off by the extreme twistedness of his work. Thankfully, there are still many, many laughs here, and a generous helping of absurdity, including a large collection of rabbits and frequent references to duck racing. (I laughed aloud more than anyone else in the theater.)
Another huge strength is Ms. Stone, firmly establishing herself as one of the greatest comic actors of our time. She’ll fall face down in the mud for a guffaw, and she has an endless supply of facial expressions. As Abigail, Stone pulls off the wildest filmic rags-to-riches tale since The Secret of My Success.
She is nearly matched comedically by the excellent Olivia Colman, so good in Peep Show and Broadchurch. Colman plays the Queen — which she also does in The Crown but I don’t watch that because I really don’t like period pieces, ok??? Though Claire Foy is in that, isn’t she? Hubba hubba — and she’s petulant and childish and slovenly and pouty and a joy to watch.
If Abigail is indeed to become the Queen’s favourite, she’ll have to get past Lady Sarah, her highness’s right-hand woman. Between Stone and Colman, Rachel Weisz as Sarah has the “straight” role here, but is deliciously manipulative. I haven’t seen Vice but I imagine a similar “power behind the throne” set-up. Colman and Weisz were both in The Lobster; I like the idea of Lanthimos having regular players even if there wasn’t room for Colin Farrell this time around.
The early going is carried by super sharp writing (courtesy of relative big-screen newcomers Tony McNamara and Deborah Davis), broad comic performances, and Lanthimos’s clever direction — including regular use of purposely curved wide-angle shots that lend a sense of loneliness at the top. At other times, strong, spare instrumentation — often bowed or plucked — and dark lighting add to a claustrophobic, tense feel. (There’s also very smart use of a vintage Elton John track over the end credits.)
As the competition between Abigail and her cousin Sarah ramps up — Sarah clearly threatened by this pretty young pretender to the side of the throne — the film’s wackiness subsides, and I found myself a bit less compelled. But when all was said and done, it is a very impressive piece of work, which stayed with me long after I left the theather, and if The Favourite brings more attention and acclaim to my boy Yorgos, all the better.
Jack Silbert, curator