The
Favourite
Academy
Award winning actresses Emma Stone (La La land) and Rachelle Weisz (The
Constant Gardner) bring their much impressive resumes together for the true
story film “The Favourite”, a film on almost everyone’s short list for a Best
Picture nomination.
Directed
as equal parts biting British vulgar humor and compelling drama, the story begins in early 18th century England. They are at war
with France and yet the wealthy and royal elite continue nevertheless to
indulge themselves in games of duck racing and pineapple eating and are thriving as
sometimes only the wealthy can while the country side citizenry barely survive
under the weight of increasing imposed land taxes to pay for the war.
A frail health Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) occupies the throne, but it is her very her close
friend Lady Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) who surreptitiously governs the
country in her stead while tending to Anne's ill health and mercurial temper.
When a new servant Abigail Masham (Emma Stone) arrives, her charm endears her
to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing and Abigail sees a chance at a
return to her aristocratic roots. As the politics of war become quite time consuming
for Sarah, Abigail steps into the breach to fill in as the Queen's companion.
Their burgeoning friendship gives her a chance to fulfill her ambitions and she
will not let woman, man, politics or rabbit stand in her way.
REVIEW: I
must admit this film had me swaying back and forth from being very good to
marginally good. But in the end its the very good that won out largely for the
rare event of seeing three actress at the top of the game keeping the back and
forth plot of deviousness and vindictive discernible and ultimately very
entertaining.
BE CLEAR, you
have to be an anglophile as I am (a person who is fond of or greatly admires all
things England or British) to appreciate this heavily nuanced film that blends both
historical facts and some clever fiction into this dainty but refined story of
women being in charge of any and all things 18th century England. Using both their minds and sexual prowess’s to get what they want when they wanted
at any cost. A perilous story of three competing
wills that at times were just nasty, funny, thrilling, dramatic and sometimes sad. A
taunt inventive film that captures a range of human behaviors under the blanket
of how deep emotional suffering can both big and small manifest itself on the surface.
But
it is British Actress Olivia Colman who steals the film from beginning to the
end who delivers an amazing performance as Queen Anne as someone who was the personification
of complexity ranging from authentic humanity to be out right grotesque. She is
certain to garner a Best Actress nomination.
While
“The Favourite” had a few scenes that were just perplexing to me, one of which of a man being
stoned for amusement with tomatoes, the film overall uniquely captures a historical
period of aristocracy that was truly fascinating as well as a stark personal reminder fro me .........….”Thank God I was not born back then”. Very Mean People.
Running 2 hour the bulk for the film spends a great deal of time of people either being very rewarding to their friends and then turning on them with equal aplomb to being very mean to them. Still I found the “The Favourite” to be a raucous delightful experience.
3.50
Stars
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