The Favourite
Academy Award × 1
Rent/Purchase
England, early 18th century. The close relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill is threatened by the arrival of Sarah's cousin, Abigail Hill, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the two cousins to be the Queen's favourite.
What critics thought
Essentially universally acclaimed by critics, The Favourite finds Lanthimos at his most accessible without sacrificing his strangeness — a period-set court comedy with real satirical venom, anchored by three performances critics couldn't stop competing to praise. The notable tension in its reception sits not between positive and negative camps but between critics and general audiences, whose enthusiasm was markedly cooler than the professional consensus.
“It's a bawdy, brilliant triumph, directed by Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos with all the artistic reach and renegade deviltry he brought to Dogtooth (2009), The Lobster (2015) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“It's worth pointing out that The Favourite is easily Lanthimos' most user-friendly movie, which isn't to say it isn't strange enough to please his fans, just that it may also convert a legion of new ones”
Chris Nashawaty·Entertainment Weekly
“You might not actually want to live in Yorgos Lanthimos' sticky tar pit of palace intrigue—a place where Olivia Colman's batty Queen can't trust anyone beyond her pet rabbits, and Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone treat loyalty like a blood sport—but God it's fun as hell to visit”
Leah Greenblatt·Entertainment Weekly
“The Favourite plays like The Crown on helium, with bawdiness and bitchiness vying for space with political manoeuvring that would have made Molière proud”
Phil de Semlyen·Time Out
Genres
Biography, Comedy, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorYorgos Lanthimos
StarringEmma Stone, Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn
The Favourite
Academy Award × 1
England, early 18th century. The close relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill is threatened by the arrival of Sarah's cousin, Abigail Hill, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the two cousins to be the Queen's favourite.
What critics thought
Essentially universally acclaimed by critics, The Favourite finds Lanthimos at his most accessible without sacrificing his strangeness — a period-set court comedy with real satirical venom, anchored by three performances critics couldn't stop competing to praise. The notable tension in its reception sits not between positive and negative camps but between critics and general audiences, whose enthusiasm was markedly cooler than the professional consensus.
“It's a bawdy, brilliant triumph, directed by Greek auteur Yorgos Lanthimos with all the artistic reach and renegade deviltry he brought to Dogtooth (2009), The Lobster (2015) and The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)”
Peter Travers·Rolling Stone
“It's worth pointing out that The Favourite is easily Lanthimos' most user-friendly movie, which isn't to say it isn't strange enough to please his fans, just that it may also convert a legion of new ones”
Chris Nashawaty·Entertainment Weekly
“You might not actually want to live in Yorgos Lanthimos' sticky tar pit of palace intrigue—a place where Olivia Colman's batty Queen can't trust anyone beyond her pet rabbits, and Rachel Weisz and Emma Stone treat loyalty like a blood sport—but God it's fun as hell to visit”
Leah Greenblatt·Entertainment Weekly
“The Favourite plays like The Crown on helium, with bawdiness and bitchiness vying for space with political manoeuvring that would have made Molière proud”
Phil de Semlyen·Time Out
Genres
Biography, Comedy, Drama
Cast & Crew
DirectorYorgos Lanthimos
StarringEmma Stone, Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn
Rent/Purchase