FARCE: A comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterizations and ludicrously improbable situations; an absurd event.

The Favourite is a Farce…

Story: Set in the 18th Century during the reign of Queen Anne. This story only focuses on a short period of time when the Queen and her confidant – Lady Marlborough – and the demise of their relationship.

It’s hard to gauge the quality of writing for historical period pieces if you weren’t there during the time they occurred. But, relying on this historical re-telling, the ridiculousness of this story will find you asking yourself why you’re watching it.

But I do believe it was overly dramatized because Queen Anne is know to have been absolutely mad. So for the details surrounding her life and reign to be outrageous and ridiculous and without shame.

The writing isn’t particularly captivating. It’s more like rounds of witty banter that lead nowhere… Funny but vapid.

Performances: Emma Stone as Baroness Masham and Rachel Weisz as Lady Marlborough play off each other brilliantly. Both performances are formidable and they do create a palpable competition. It’s almost as if you can pick up the competition and hold it in your hand its so thick.

And Olivia Colman as Queen Anne is mad. Erratic, child-like, feeble, temperamental, insecure. She’s mad in the dictionary definition of mad… She’s been nominated for an Oscar and is being praised by critics for this performance. The field is qualified. Let’s see what happens…

Visual: To watch this film, be prepared to be filled with awe. There will be moments you won’t believe what you’re watching. It’s a period piece so it’s filled with elaborate old world costumes, big wigs – on the men – petticoats and bustles.

It’s also very sexually charged which, I think lends itself to the film’s visual elements as opposed to the performances…

There’s even a dance scene at a social function that looks just plain silly. Add all of this together and this film is a visual comic smorgasbord with no laugh track…

Rating: The Favourite is a Farce. I can’t think of a better description. I give it a B-. Were it not for the fact that it’s nominated for an Oscar, I wouldn’t have seen this. And I like period pieces.

See it streaming when you want an afternoon of unexpected 18th Century humor…