ReelBob: ‘The Favourite’ ★★★

By Bob Bloom

“The Favourite” is a wicked historical comedy with a contemporary feminist bent.

 Set in the early 18th century, the movie, directed by Yorgus Lanthimos, features a trio of delightful and sharp performances by Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone.

 It’s a tale of intrigue, power, class distinction, ambition, love and betrayal.

Colman is Queen Anne, a shipwreck of a monarch, suffering from gout, the loss of 17 children either in childbirth or shortly thereafter, and other ailments that keep her mostly bedridden and unable to devout the necessary time to rule her nation.

Her proxy is her closest, oldest and most devoted friend, Lady Sarah (Weisz), who speaks for the queen, while also advancing her own agenda for the nation’s future.

That plan includes continuing an unpopular war against France and increasing taxes on the aristocracy.

Stone is Abigail, a cousin of Sarah’s, who, as a former noblewoman, has fallen on hard times and is reduced to poverty.

She comes to the palace to seek help from Sarah, who, sadistically, puts her to work as a scullery maid in the kitchen.

How the lives of these three women intersect and interact is the crux of Lanthimos’ prickly movie.

It seems most of the men who should be guiding the nation’s fortunes are more interested in such wasteful past times as racing ducks and devouring pineapple.

It is left to Lady Sarah to, in the name of Anne, to decide the country’s course of action.

Abigail’s aim is to reclaim her rank, wed a noble husband and gain the ear of Anne.

The plot plays second fiddle to the characters and their relationships. Sarah and Anne, friends since childhood, have a codependent, semi-destructive relationship.

Sarah caters to the whims of the mercurial and erratic monarch, bluntly and honestly speaking to the queen as her friend and confidant, rather than a subject.

At times, this infuriates Anne, but she also realizes — when she is rational — that Sarah’s actions stem from concern and love.

Abigail uses her faked innocence and charm to work her way into the queen’s inner sanctum, learning too late that achieving her goal is not what she expected.

 The three main performances are delightful to behold. Colman’s unpredictability and her constant shifts in mood and tone are extraordinary to watch.

Weisz’s Sarah is a pragmatist, a political animal who balances her devotion to her queen against the needs and love of England.

Stone hides a steeled and ambitious persona behind a demure facade of servility, kindness and gentleness.

When the three share a scene, you feel the tension and feel the sparks and emotions that are ignited within each of them.

The male characters are given short shrift, which is fine.They basically serve as props for the various machinations of Anne, Sarah and Abigail.

Lanthimos’ movie is a commentary on how women, considered inconsequential and inferior to men, use their brains, wit and, yes, sex to achieve their goals.

“The Favourite” is rife with witty and barbed repartee. It is sad and savvy, funny and tragic. It is a spicy, delicious experience that celebrates the guile and creative cunning of female empowerment — right under the noses of self-satisfied, arrogant and oblivious men.

 I am a founding member of the Indiana Film Journalists Association. My reviews appear at ReelBob (reelbob.com) and Rottentomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com). I also review Blu-rays and DVDs. I can be reached by email at bobbloomjc@gmail.comor on Twitter @ReelBobBloom. Links to my reviews can be found on Facebook,Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn.

THE FAVOURITE
3 stars out of 4
(R), sexual content, nudity, language