Metacritic score: 90
The Favourite
The caustic comedy of palace intrigue is currently in theaters.
Alissa Wilkinson covered film and culture for Vox. Alissa is a member of the New York Film Critics Circle and the National Society of Film Critics.
A deliciously wicked, loosely historically based drama from Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos (who earned an Oscar nomination in 2017 for his screenplay for The Lobster), The Favourite is a dark comedy about three women: Queen Anne (Olivia Colman), her closest friend and adviser Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), and the young woman (Emma Stone) who joins the household and starts to usurp Sarah’s coveted spot.
The film’s luxurious interiors, cockeyed sensibility, and complex trio of female characters with frank views on power, sexuality, and what they want out of life has already pushed it into the limelight after its fall festival run. And the three performances at its center are all strong contenders for individual acting awards — particularly Colman, a beloved TV and film actress (and the new Queen Elizabeth on The Crown) whose time for recognition may have finally arrived.
