The Favourite

R

Released Dec 14, 2018

2 hr. 0 min.

Comedy

Drama

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List

93%

428 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

5,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies the throne, and her close friend Lady Sarah governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne's ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing, and Abigail sees a chance to return to her aristocratic roots.

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Critics Consensus

The Favourite sees Yorgos Lanthimos balancing a period setting against rich, timely subtext - and getting roundly stellar performances from his well-chosen stars.

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Jorge C

Esta demostró ser un paso gigante para la industria cinematografica.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/12/24

Full Review

Cheryl D

totally awful had no idea what was going on really hated it no idea why it would win anything hours of my life wasted that i won't get back!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

04/09/24

Full Review

Jack t

From the director of Poor Things that recently won many Oscars, the Favourite is the one that interested me the most and of course, this is period drama but surprisingly quite hilarious which I found to be quite amusing. Yeah, never thought of that the first time. Great Britain is at war with France. Queen Anne played by Olivia Colman, is in poor health; she shows little interest in governing, preferring activities such as playing with her 17 rabbits, surrogates for the children she miscarried or who died in infancy. Her confidante, advisor, and furtive lover Sarah Churchill played by Rachel Weisz, effectively rules the country through her influence over the Queen. Abigail Hill played by Emma Stone, who is Sarah's impoverished younger cousin, arrives in search of employment. Her standing has been tainted by her father, who gambled her away in a game of whist. She is forced to do menial work as a scullery maid in the palace. Since I couldn't catch on how humorous is was twice, I thought I add in some quotes that had me on the funny spot. "That Harley is a fop and a prat and smells like a ninety-six-year-old French w***e's vajuju.", "Did you just look at me? Did you? Look at me! Look at me! How dare you! Close your eyes!" I bet anybody who has seen this movie will be ***t-strucked by it and yes, I use that term just to clarify the fact that this is set in the period of the 18th century in Great Britain. With how funny it is with the Blackadder to be exact, I mean exactly that. The Favourite is a great period comedy drama that provides great writing, solid direction, incredible acting by the cast, humorous laughs, great costumes and great cinematography. It's the entirety of The Favourite that will get you entirely ***t-strucked and for sure I did. Go see it. That is if you love seeing the rabbits though. I can't wait to see Emma Stone again in Poor Things in the near future so stay tuned for that. Woowoowoo!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/20/24

Full Review

bob c

It got good reviews and awards so I stuck it for ages. But it's junk. Costumes, sets, acting maybe. But who cares?

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

03/12/24

Full Review

Caroline B

What a waste of my time! I love period movies, but this one took so many liberties with history that it was absurd. So uncomfortable to watch. Be smart and skip this one!

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/11/24

Full Review

DuÅ¡an A

Great movie, a game of chess between two queens. Definitely a preparation for Poor things, but a movie in its own right in any case

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

03/08/24

Full Review

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Yorgos Lanthimos

Director

Olivia Colman

Queen Anne

Rachel Weisz

Lady Sarah

Emma Stone

Abigail

Nicholas Hoult

Harley

Joe Alwyn

Masham

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The Favourite: Trailer 1

2:07

The Favourite: Teaser Trailer 1

1:09

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Molly Haskell

Film Comment Magazine

It's a dark view, but dark views, like sunny views, have to come from somewhere. Where is Lanthimos's dark sun? I don't know, but I'll definitely keep watching.

Feb 27, 2020

Full Review

Cate Young

indieWire

Yorgos Lanthimos' dryly funny historical feature is all about power, and that means literally wearing the pants in a strange time.

Mar 10, 2019

Full Review

Jourdain Searles

Bitch Media

In the end, The Favourite is a haunting reminder of the limits of control.

Feb 23, 2019

Full Review

Denise Pieniazek

Puesta en Escena (AR)

The most interesting proposal of The Favourite is the change of socially imposed roles regarding gender, here these canonical mandates are transgressed and inverted. While the men flirt and use makeup, the women have the real power.

Rated: 9/10

Jan 27, 2024

Full Review

Serena Seghedoni

Loud and Clear Reviews

Yorgos Lanthimos defies expectations and gives us a slow-burning analysis of politics and power dynamics that might be set in the 18th Century but couldn’t be more relevant to our day and age.

Rated: 4.5/5

Aug 3, 2023

Full Review

Manuel São Bento

MSB Reviews

Technically, The Favourite is undoubtedly one of the best movies of 2018. The impressive production and set design plus the addictive score definitely elevate the film, but the costume design tells a whole story through what the characters wear.

Rated: A-

Jul 24, 2023

Full Review

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Synopsis

In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies the throne, and her close friend Lady Sarah governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne's ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing, and Abigail sees a chance to return to her aristocratic roots.

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Executive Producer: Andrew Lowe, Daniel Battsek, Rose Garnett, Josh Rosenbaum, Ken Kao, Tony McNamara, Deborah Davis
Screenwriter: Deborah Davis, Tony McNamara
Distributor: Fox Searchlight
Production Co: Film4, Waypoint Entertainment
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English (United Kingdom)
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 12, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA): $34.2M
Sound Mix: Dolby Digital
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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