I saw this Movie with my parents. I had warned them ahead of time that I did not believe this would fit their cinematic tastes based on director, Yorgos Lanthimos', previous works; most notably The Lobster and Dogtooth. My parents insisted that it looked like their "brand of weird" and that they might enjoy the film. 

Two hours later, my parents stormed out of the theater, furious with the vulgarity they paid money to see.

For once in my life, my parents were WRONG. And I my ego may or may not have eaten up their misery like a gourmet dessert…

My mother asked me to write a review of The Favourite, I assume, because she wanted me to cathartically spread the word about how awful this movie is. Thus preventing people from suffering as she and my father did. But here is the twist… I enjoyed the movie.

Let me be frank, I did not enjoy the film as much as I did The Lobster; The Favourite had too many unnecessary wide-angle shots, the pace was a tad on the slow side, and it could have ended about two scenes earlier than it did. However, the story was interesting, it had tons of funny lines, the acting was conniving and well-timed, and the music was beautifully Baroque. Overall, not the greatest movie of the year as the Huffington Post declares, but still an oddly good time if that is what you’re into.

That is the key phrase there, “If that is what you’re into”. The Favourite is loosely based on the life and cohorts of Queen Anne (played by Olivia Colman) during the 18^th century. Her adviser, Sarah (played with dry wit by Rachel Weisz), keeps influence over the Queen at all times. She keeps up the façade of best friend, but maintains power over the country, only missing the proper royal title. That is, until Abigail (played by Emma Watson) comes along asking for employment then scavenging for Sarah’s position within the royal food pyramid.

For me, this film is a comedy. The comedy came from how insultingly blatant it was that Queen Anne was being manipulated by everyone she came in contact with, and how she kept constantly missing it like Stormtroopers miss their targets. I have never felt so filled with schadenfreude and sympathy for a character’s low self esteem in my life. And it did not seem, both unfortunately and comically, too farfetched to see how many lives depended on the Queen’s mental instability and emotional frailty.

I suppose that is why Lanthinmos was the perfect director for this story. The humor he finds in stories such as this is not intended to make you laugh. Instead, it is meant to make you pull at your shirt collar and question if you are a horrible person for seeing it the way that you do. I felt sorry for the adversity that the Queen had been through in her miserable life, but at the same time I wanted to thank the good Lord above that I have a better idea of when someone wants to take advantage of me than she did.

If you think this movie might sound up your alley, I would advise that you not only check out this film’s trailer, but also the trailers for The Lobster and Dogtooth. If any of those films look way too unconventional, or downright damaging, for your taste, then I would stay far away if you like to avoid the fate of my parents. If those trailers look unconventional in all of the right ways, then I would see The Favourite and decide for yourself just how many awards it should and/or will win this season.