The Favourite (2018)

I went into The Favourite a bit skeptical. Despite how delicious the trailer looked I have not enjoyed any of director Yorgos Lanthimos' films in the past. Yet everything about how The Favourite looked made me feel like I might finally connect to his work this time. And I did. The Favourite is insightful, hilarious, and desperately tragic. Screenwriters Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara have written a sharp, fascinating script and the top notch cast play out their roles with a relish that is palpable. But I have to give credit to Lanthimos whose disconcerting style and jagged technique fit the story so perfectly, making it irresistible.

The Favourite is the funniest movie I've seen all year. The humour comes both embedded in the situations, deeply under cover of the plot and characters, and lobbed at us frenetically often taking us by surprise. I rarely laugh out loud this often. Again a credit to the writing, delivery of the jokes, and the way they are presented. A big part of what gets us invested in this story of political gameswomanship is just how smartly funny it is.

But the cast perhaps is the thing about the film that I enjoyed the most. Sure the sets and costumes are gorgeous and Lanthimos finds a way to shoot it all so that you are intoxicated by it. But it is how incredibly everyone inhabits their roles. Clearly they are enjoying the work. The Favourite feels like a labour of love.  Yes Olivia Coleman is a standout at the centre of this, giving us both a comedic tour de force, but also a role filled with tragedy, showing us all the weight of that. And yes Stone and Weisz are both at the top of their game as well. But the rest of the cast is also remarkable.

The Favourite is a delightful, if dark and somewhat bleak, treat. I smiled and laughed all the way through. And it is the sort of entertaining rich film which will offer more depth on repeat viewings.

The Favourite
Starring: Elizabeth Coleman, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Writers: Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara