Read Mixed User Reviews for The Favourite

5

jgzegerJan 26, 2019

While there are a lot of things to like about this movie (the performances, the costumes, the sets), the story line is not one of them. Neither is the background music which at times I found quite annoying. Altogether the film tries to be tooWhile there are a lot of things to like about this movie (the performances, the costumes, the sets), the story line is not one of them. Neither is the background music which at times I found quite annoying. Altogether the film tries to be too clever by half and in the end falls flat on its face and just becomes tedious. I ended up wishing I had made a different choice for my film fare.… Expand

4 of 6 users found this helpful42

All this user's reviews

6

FatalBrushDec 1, 2018

This movie profits from great actors and great performances. However, at the ZFF this movie was initially portrayed as a dark comedy but it wasn't my cup of tea and neither did the story draw me in. I was left a bit unsatisfied to be honest.

10 of 18 users found this helpful108

All this user's reviews

5

JLuis_001Jan 7, 2019

Great staging, really good performances, outstanding direction, demolishing music. Overall a beautiful production and yet incredibly hollow.

The narrative is insipid and somewhat uninspired. The humor is weak. Something incredible comingGreat staging, really good performances, outstanding direction, demolishing music. Overall a beautiful production and yet incredibly hollow.

The narrative is insipid and somewhat uninspired. The humor is weak. Something incredible coming from Lanthimos because even in the darkness of The Killing of a Sacred Deer you could notice all the nuances. Here it's not very functional and to some degree disappointing.

It's a parody and a farce that fails at important moments and despite my high expectations and how much I expected this film and how much I expected to love it, the truth is that I ended up bitterly disenchanted, disappointed and dissatisfied.… Expand

3 of 6 users found this helpful33

All this user's reviews

5

AxeTFeb 7, 2019

Gorgeous photography, set design, and interesting sound can't lift this from the expected perils of a stuffy period piece. Nor can raunchy content and contemporary dirty dialogue regardless of themes paralleling today's politics and feministGorgeous photography, set design, and interesting sound can't lift this from the expected perils of a stuffy period piece. Nor can raunchy content and contemporary dirty dialogue regardless of themes paralleling today's politics and feminist fads, no matter how good the acting.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

All this user's reviews

5

Popcorn55Jan 28, 2019

Lost in a limbo somewhere between Masterpiece Theater and Monty Python, this artsy-fartsy cutesy-pootsy "period drama" is neither convincingly "period", nor very dramatic, nor does the occasional half-hearted comic scene redeem it. A lot ofLost in a limbo somewhere between Masterpiece Theater and Monty Python, this artsy-fartsy cutesy-pootsy "period drama" is neither convincingly "period", nor very dramatic, nor does the occasional half-hearted comic scene redeem it. A lot of work obviously went into this, and we have to respect the efforts of all involved but... it all turns out to be an odd and rather dreary affair that's more depressing than entertaining.

While there are many lingering close-ups of Emma Stone to show that her agent has negotiated a generous portion of exclusive screen time for her, the cinematography in general is notably annoying and distracting. In particular the "fisheye" wide angle shots with peripheral curving and distortion of the images, help to destroy any immersive experience here, and distance us from the story. A story which is often a bit hard to follow, and hard to swallow. That most of the cast don't make any attempt at English accents, and talk essentially L.A. street talk, additionally sabotages the historical ambience we expect. Maybe this was supposed to be campy, like it was in "Marie Antoinette", but it doesn't come across that way here.

Finally, the irritating score compounds the strange off-key quality of the film. While some period music is used, it's performed and mixed in a way that sounds inauthentic. Then we have long, long periods where the score is some kind of inexplicable, monotonous, modernistic knocking, tocking noise that again distracts us from the action at hand and reminds us that this is an artsy-fartsy director getting in his artsy farts instead of entertaining us.

On the positive side, the bunnies are cute; ducks are always a plus in any film; and when the horsies prance along with their feathered crests on, that's pretty darn cool.… Expand

2 of 4 users found this helpful22

All this user's reviews

4

ClariseSamuelsFeb 7, 2019

Sometimes you have to wonder what the critics are looking for in an Oscar-worthy movie, and how they manage to find it in a film like The Favourite. This what-if-Queen-Anne’s-court-was-lesbian premise is historically off the wall, given thatSometimes you have to wonder what the critics are looking for in an Oscar-worthy movie, and how they manage to find it in a film like The Favourite. This what-if-Queen-Anne’s-court-was-lesbian premise is historically off the wall, given that two of the protagonists, Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz) and Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) were historically documented to be extremely devoted to their husbands. The historical basis for the lesbian theme apparently harks back to some vindictive rumors that were circulated during Queen Anne’s reign (1702–1707 as Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and then until 1714 as Queen of Great Britain and Ireland) by malicious and jealous courtiers. At Versailles such a scenario might have been plausible, but the stodgy, uptight English court of the eighteenth century? The French Catholic aristocracy felt they needed a priest only twice in their lives—when they married and when they died—but the English took the Anglican Church and the wages of sin very seriously. Since Henry VIII, the ruling monarch has been the head of the Church of England, and this kind of liberated behavior would have been severely repressed during this era.

So the film has to be accepted as a fantasy, and a wild, absurdist one at that. Billed as a comedy-drama, it’s not that humorous. I didn’t laugh once. The actors are consummate professionals, and the costumes and period sets are perfect; nevertheless, the film is wearisome. Dark hallways looming up at the camera and a preoccupation with a wide-angle lens distortion known as pincushioning (usually considered a photographic flaw but used in this film as a feature) are recurring stylistic devices. Colman’s acting in the role of Queen Anne is of the highest caliber, but she always has to act sick, moody, and on the verge of hysterics, so her character is also wearisome. Her Queen Anne seems to be quite stupid and unable to comprehend politics, economics, military strategy or anything that does not cater to her sexual needs and her personal vanity. Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone are rivals for the Queen’s affections, and their characters display the worst kind of female wiles and weaknesses, stopping just short of hair-pulling and scratching each other’s eyes out. Scenes are introduced with text graphics that are random quotations, sometimes skewing the letters with arbitrary spacing. The film is artistically conceited. In the end, it does not produce the desired effect, which presumably is to depict the absurdist and existentialist view that there is no intrinsic meaning in life. The musical score is as pretentious as the rest of it, vacillating between Baroque violins and a bizarre chiming sound that is supposed to set a mood but is instead unnerving and bewildering.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

4

JoeCoolMar 10, 2019

Great costumes and acting, but basically a fairly gross movie about social scheming if about anything at all, made only for the purpose of painting an unflattering picture of nobility with the excuse that it's obviously non-historical. I'dGreat costumes and acting, but basically a fairly gross movie about social scheming if about anything at all, made only for the purpose of painting an unflattering picture of nobility with the excuse that it's obviously non-historical. I'd rather just not have seen this skillfully crafted travesty. A disturbing movie that I will make sure to never see again. I'm not seeing the sattire, just lots of poor taste. Even with all the "cleverness", it's not a bore-fest and that's something at least.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

5

OdinMovieBlogMar 5, 2019

This film is the very definition of Oscar bait. Brilliant camera work, solid acting, and beautiful production design and costumes make this film a beauty to behold with no true soul. the constant battle that occurs within the story about whatThis film is the very definition of Oscar bait. Brilliant camera work, solid acting, and beautiful production design and costumes make this film a beauty to behold with no true soul. the constant battle that occurs within the story about what kind of movie and what kind of story it wants to tell makes the film seem very disjointed. Add to this the fact that you can pick out any scene that is essentially made for critics and Oscar voters and you got yourself an extremely overrated beautiful catastrophe. C-… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

All this user's reviews

6

tropicAcesDec 5, 2018

Looks great and features a trio of solid performances, but just wasn’t my cup of tea. Too slow and abstract (a fat naked man being pelted by oranges in slow-mo isn’t my thing) and just doesn’t relish in its cruelness like it should. ButLooks great and features a trio of solid performances, but just wasn’t my cup of tea. Too slow and abstract (a fat naked man being pelted by oranges in slow-mo isn’t my thing) and just doesn’t relish in its cruelness like it should. But again, I know I’m in the minority here.… Expand

5 of 15 users found this helpful510

All this user's reviews

6

MarkHReviewsDec 24, 2018

I went to the screening of “The Favourite” wanting and expecting to love it. I just can’t. There’s a lot to like about this film – the cast and the dialogue are fabulous. And while the crackling dialogue portrayed in the film’s trailer isI went to the screening of “The Favourite” wanting and expecting to love it. I just can’t. There’s a lot to like about this film – the cast and the dialogue are fabulous. And while the crackling dialogue portrayed in the film’s trailer is delivered fully throughout the film, be aware that this is no comedy. In fact, the theme being developed by Director Yorgos Lanthimos is just too bleak for many moviegoers and most human beings. “The Favourite” advances the thesis that all humans are venal, petty and self-absorbed. Genuine kindness is rare. Expecting people to help others, absent some sort of self-interest, is a fool’s errand. The film doesn’t just posit that people’s negative traits tend to overwhelm their better instincts; it advances the premise that we live in a world devoid of genuine goodness. It’s all a little hard to bear. However, “The Favourite” is clearly the most accessible and upbeat of Lanthimos’ recent films. In “The Lobster” (2015), single people are required to spend time at The Hotel, where they must either find a compatible mate within 45 days or be transformed into the animal of their choosing. His 2017 film “The Killing of the Sacred Deer” had some critics believing the film was a masterful meditation on cruelty, while others described the film itself as cruel.

“The Favourite” centers on the reign of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), who ascended the British throne in 1702. In no small part because she knows frighteningly little about affairs of state, Anne is strongly influenced by Lady Sarah Churchill (Rachel Weisz), Duchess of Marlborough. Churchill gives her cousin, Abigail Masham (Emma Stone), a menial job in the royal household after Abigail’s family has fallen from grace. Only too late does Sarah recognize that Abigail is a more-than-worthy rival for the queen’s affections. While the film is hard to bear, it’s not hard to watch. Colman, Weisz (both alumnae of “The Lobster”) and Stone are at the top of their games, making the viewing experience completely worthwhile, even while the film feels confusing in a few places, soul-crushing in several. For American audiences, Colman is a punch line – in the best possible sense: she has spent many years becoming an overnight sensation. Known in the UK primarily for her TV work, Colman has a long string of impressive credentials, most recently in “The Night Manager” (2016), a quirky stepmother in Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s TV adaptation of “Fleabag” (2016) and a sublime performance in “Broadchurch” (2013-2017). In the UK, Colman is so ubiquitous she even appears in the current British Airways safety video. Weisz and Stone have both generated awards buzz of their own, but this is Colman’s show. She demands full attention despite portraying a character prone to self-pity and cloying neediness who is completely out of her element when it comes to behaving like a responsible head of state. (If her face were orange, viewers might see an analogy in contemporary events.)

“The Favourite” is least effective as a narrative to be taken literally, much more worthwhile as a meditation on the human condition that encourages debate and self-reflection. This film is powerful, necessary and important; it’s just not a lot of fun along the way.… Expand

2 of 6 users found this helpful24

All this user's reviews

5

namelessJan 19, 2019

It is good for 80% of the movie then it turns into an "art film" that loses its way. See it on cable or TV so you can fast forward, ending the audience's pain as the director lost their way in the editing process and obviously changed theirIt is good for 80% of the movie then it turns into an "art film" that loses its way. See it on cable or TV so you can fast forward, ending the audience's pain as the director lost their way in the editing process and obviously changed their mind about the ending. That is why the reviews are so mixed. Only the most elitist critics are giving it high marks.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

All this user's reviews

4

moviecritic68Jan 23, 2019

I was shocked when the "Shape of Water" was so highly touted to be showered with academy awards but this film shocks me even more. I've tried to visualize the enthusiasm shown by many but I don't see it. I guess if you are into vulgarI was shocked when the "Shape of Water" was so highly touted to be showered with academy awards but this film shocks me even more. I've tried to visualize the enthusiasm shown by many but I don't see it. I guess if you are into vulgar behavior by old English royalty & almost S&M like portrayals then this film is for you. Costumes & music score was the only thing that kept me from going in the red zone. NOT FOR EVERYBODY!!!… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

All this user's reviews

4

gxm143Dec 23, 2018

Very disappointing. Sure, the acting is first class, but what's the point in a plot that lacks drama, humour or historical significance. One of those critics' films whose allure escapes me. With a horribly crafted ending, you know, one ofVery disappointing. Sure, the acting is first class, but what's the point in a plot that lacks drama, humour or historical significance. One of those critics' films whose allure escapes me. With a horribly crafted ending, you know, one of those " is that it, it's over?"… Expand

4 of 14 users found this helpful410

All this user's reviews

6

moviemitch96Dec 12, 2018

The director of this film, a Greek director named Yorgos Lanthimos, is known for his very bizarre and absurdist style of plot and filmmaking, and this film is no exception. Being a big fan of his most recent previous films (The Lobster andThe director of this film, a Greek director named Yorgos Lanthimos, is known for his very bizarre and absurdist style of plot and filmmaking, and this film is no exception. Being a big fan of his most recent previous films (The Lobster and The Killing of a Sacred Deer), I was really looking forward to this one. Set in early 1700s England, it follows Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) and two young women (Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz) vying for her admiration and attention as her servants, all in the midst of a war with France. Like I said, the film is very absurdist in nature, and is infused with plenty of deadpan and dark humor, which kept the film interesting and amusing enough at times. In addition, Colman, Stone, and Weisz were all brilliant and spot-on, their performances fitting and adapting to the film's absurdism quite well. Naturally, with its period setting, it was also a very aesthetically pleasing film to watch as well, with lavish production design, costumes, etc. On the flip side, unfortunately, while the film started out so promising, lively, and energetic in the first half, much like a major character that suffers a stroke in the second half, the film began to really slow down and drag, losing much sense of direction, and feeling rather aimless the more it progressed. Overall, aside from a witty (but also cringy at times) screenplay full of dialogue that's somehow humorous and shocking all at once often times, striking performances from the cast, and incredibly detailed production values, I found the film to be rather weak and half-baked in terms of story. Very promising and amusing first half, but a very slack, underwhelming, and disappointing second half that left much to be desired for me.… Expand

1 of 5 users found this helpful14

All this user's reviews

5

Edward_FApr 21, 2019

The movie is based on one premise that both 'favorites' slept with queen Anna and that was the core of their influence. This is a lie so 80% of the character's motivation is based on the lie and thus this movie is fiction based on realThe movie is based on one premise that both 'favorites' slept with queen Anna and that was the core of their influence. This is a lie so 80% of the character's motivation is based on the lie and thus this movie is fiction based on real events. Costumes are good. Cameraman work is good.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews