That's because of the movie's director, Yorgos Lanthimos. He's the man behind the incredibly odd and rather off-putting The Lobster, a movie I thought started strong but faded fast. On a film podcast I listen to regularly, the hosts seize any opportunity to praise Lanthimos, and whenever they do, it's clear that my reaction to The Lobster is what the director strives for. All of his films challenge you to accept them on his terms. And while I applaud the integrity of the artist, I personally just couldn't get into the art.
But then it seemed that The Favourite was going to be a constant contender in awards season. And, more importantly, I heard a bit of critique that actually turned me around: The Favourite was, apparently, Yorgos Lanthimos' most "accessible" film. This was said almost like a lament by some critics, like a hope that people might discover this more "normal" film and then go crazy for all the director's previous strangeness. I took it as hope that this movie would be more narratively coherent and honest than what I'd seen in The Lobster. And happily, I was not disappointed.
Set in the reign of Queen Anne, The Favourite tracks two women who use every bit of charm, cunning, and craft at their disposal to position themselves prominently in the queen's court. You might think it a stilted period piece, but the interactions feel quite fresh and modern throughout. Part of this may be the unvarnished way in which the story treats the lesbian relationships among the women. Some of it is the language, which mixes equal parts poetry and lowbrow cursing. But much of it is simply that the ambition to be close to power and leech off it is pretty much eternal.
The performances are a highlight of the film. Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, and Olivia Colman are all exceptional. It is the nature of the awards season that we'll be told some of them are leads and some supporting players, but it is in truth a powerful triad of women making this movie what it is. Knock any leg off this stool, and it would surely collapse. Weisz is in turns menacing and sweet, Stone in turns cruel and masked, Colman in turns pitiable and forceful. Also worth mentioning: Nicholas Hoult gives a hilarious comedic performance as an ambitious man also in the queen's orbit. (There's great humor throughout, in fact... though it drops off noticeably in the second half of the film.)
But I do have some reservations about the movie as well. It's divided into "chapters" like a Quentin Tarantino movie, each introduced with an on-screen title. It's hard to say what's worse about this, the obnoxious typesetting or the inflated sense of cleverness on display. For certain, it adds nothing of value to the movie and serves only to kick you out of the flow of things as it screams "look at me!"
The music is even more off-putting. From what I can tell online, it's uncredited, perhaps in part because it largely draws on existing classical composers. But in several scenes, original "music" blares over quiet scenes. It's percussive and conspicuous, pulling focus to itself and away from the action. It's also repetitive, making you long for the moment when the orchestra finally shuts up so you can go back to watching the movie.
I'm also unsure of the ending. It certainly has a point about power and ambition, and what they can lead to. But it makes this point in an oddball, "artsy" way, with multiple superimposed images and unsettling sound effects. Its a presentation style that has little similarity to any previous moment in the film, and so it feels out of place and ineffective even as it's rather succinct and correct, narratively.
Still, the performances of the three lead women, combined with the wit of the dialogue, was more than enough for me to enjoy this movie. I give The Favourite a B. I think plenty of people who normally avoid "Oscar bait" would actually like it.
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