The Favourite (2018)

It's early 18th century England and a frail Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) rules though she is under the influence of her lover, the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz). Enter a poor but ambitious cousin (Emma Stone) of the Duchess and let the backstabbing, manipulation and court intrigue begin! Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (THE LOBSTER), this was a major disappointment. I'm sure the film thinks it's saying something about female empowerment (and maybe it is) but it comes across as ALL ABOUT EVE in an 18th century royal court rather than the Broadway theater but without the wit. The praise for Colman's tedious performance mystifies me but Weisz and Stone are marvelous as they size each other up and go at it with tooth and claw. It's a rather ugly looking movie which I suppose is a concession to realism but frankly, it's about as "real" as THE LION IN WINTER. I didn't think that was much of a film either other than the two marvelous performances (Hepburn, O'Toole) which justified its existence. Weisz and Stone perform the same function here. With Nicholas Hoult and Joe Alwyn.