Film: The Favourite

GENRE: Biography, Comedy?

RATING: R for sexual content, nudity and language
RUNTIME: 1 hour and 59 minutes

STARRING: Olivia Colman (Broadchurch, The Night Manager)

Emma Stone (Easy A, The Help), Rachel Weisz (The Mummy))

DIRECTOR: Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster)

WRITERS: Deborah Davis (newcomer) & Tony McNamara (British TV)

PLOT: In 18^th century England, a frail Queen Anne depends on her close friend, Lady Sarah, until a new servant works her way up the ladder.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Oscar hopeful. Top of a lot of lists.

STORY STUFF: It was a creative approach to period drama, I will say that. At the Golden Globes, it’s labeled as a comedy (but they also said The Martian was comedic) which seems wrong. There is definitely a quirkiness about it and the content is more outlandish than expected but still. The story is missing something and it’s hard to put your finger on it. Maybe more backstory, maybe more characters, I don’t know. It kept me interested, so that helps.

ACTING STUFF: It was fun to see Colman in such a cringingly wacky role. The deterioration of her character is hard to watch though. Weisz is a force to be reckoned with. She played the calculating friend beautifully. Stone gives a good performance but other than wearing corsets didn’t pull me in like the other two ladies.

ARTISTIC STUFF: This movie does not have the sweeping shots you would expect from a period piece. The color is dingy at times, the hallways go on forever and the darkness permeates a lot of scenes. The oddest addition is the fish eye lens used to show wider shots while distorting the surroundings. Also the music devolves into one note played repeatedly for long stretches of time. Interesting, yet bizarre.

VERDICT: Two and half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You want to prepare for Oscars and like quirky stuff

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Green Book