Costume dramas are often dry affairs. All pursed lips and starched collars with the occasional heaving breast to counteract the suppression of the unsaid. Not so The Favourite by Tony McNamara and first-time screenwriter Deborah Davis whose original draft The Balance of Power dates back twenty years.

As evidenced by the following exchange between Queen Anne (Olivia Colman in magnificent form as the petulant monarch with a penchant for ladies-in-waiting) and the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz wonderfully waspish as her secret lover). “I think you should dismiss her,” instructs the Duchess in reference to her cousin and love rival Abigail Hill (Emma Stone mischievously Machiavellian). To which the “badger”-faced Anne retorts, “I will not. I like it when she puts her tongue inside me.”

Directed with great flare and subtlety by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Killing of a Sacred Deer, The Lobster) who draws tremendously scene-stealing performances from his three leads, none more so than Olivia Colman who alternates between playful kitten to monstrous tiger at the crack of a whip, it is little wonder that the film has earned a raft of rave reviews and accolades including five Golden Globe nominations.

Complimented by a fine score of both classical and original compositions, and enriched by stunning costumes and regal interiors, the latter of which highlights the vulgarity of opulence and increasing isolation of the little-girl-lost Queen, the screenplay is as riotously funny as it is tender and sad.

The closing image, though jarring in its abrupt cut to black, showing that despite their wealth, fame and adoration, Anne and her suitors, like Jagger and his Rolling Stones, can’t get no satisfaction.

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Writers: Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
Stars: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz
Peter Callaghan
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1 Comment

  1. a review by numbers, i could play cliche bingo with this lol

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