The Unfettered Critic – March 2019

Our unfettered readers often ask, “How do the two of you write together?” Our stock answer is that one of us starts the piece, then gives it to the other, saying, “This is finished.” The other reads it, usually yelling, “This is terrible. It has to be rewritten from word one!” and sits down to “fix” it. Soon the “new and improved” copy gets handed back to the originator, who, grumbling at the changes, sits down to “fix the fixes.” This back and forth may happen three or four times—until suddenly we come to a consensus, stating together: “That’s pretty darned good!”

That’s what usually happens. Usually.

This month we thought we’d review the movie The Favourite, which currently boasts ten Oscar nominations: Best Picture, Best Director, Screenplay, Actress in a Leading Role, Supporting Actress (two of those, in fact), Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, and Film Editing. Whew. All those nominations likely make it a favorite (American spelling) of the Motion Picture Academy, so covering it seemed like a sound plan. We settled into our theater seats to enjoy it.

The trailers for The Favourite make the movie look like fun: a cultured catfight in fancy dress between two ladies-in-waiting who vie for the favours of Queen Anne, Britain’s ruler in the early 18th century. As portrayed by best actress nominee Olivia Colman, Anne is a pitiable sad sack—frumpy, overweight, plagued with gout, and haunted by the youthful deaths of her seventeen royal progeny. She’s the perfect foil for the ladies as they support the queen’s spirits (and libido) while dueling for her attention. Anne’s long-trusted advisor Sarah, played by supporting actress nominee Rachel Weisz, is genteel, but equipped with claws of steel and darned good with a pistol. Sarah’s rival is her cousin Abigail, played by (also) supporting actress nominee Emma Stone, a wide-eyed, former noblewoman whose status has been irreparably muddied. Abigail appears innocent and plucky, and initially viewers are tempted to root for her. But gradually she begins to resemble the title character from the classic film All About Eve, wherein an eager young actress insinuates herself into the life of an older, veteran actress. Spoiler alert: Never judge a protégée by her cover story.

Ultimately, the person who wins this catfight doesn’t matter. There is no protagonist, no one to root for, in The Favourite. Even the characters that briefly may earn our compassion prove unworthy of it in the end. The men of Queen Anne’s court are of little use to anyone: foppish and best judged by the height of their powdered wigs; or sturdy, studly, and not all that bright. The seemingly mature men who attempt to manipulate the queen as they plan Britain’s wartime strategy against France are clueless—misled by their own egos and the political interests of self-serving advisors. But these inept fools cannot match the women of the court for their gall. Even the lowliest female member of the kitchen staff possesses a streak of cruelty that far surpasses her standing in society.

“So,” you may ask, “did the Unfettered Critics like the movie?”

One of us found it a caustically clever story, with subtle performances and witty dialogue. Conclusion: Definitely Oscar-worthy.

The other found the story tedious, filled with reprehensible characters, dizzyingly overdone production design, annoying fisheye camera lens choices, and a credit sequence designed to give the most stalwart viewer a migraine. Conclusion: Don’t waste your time.

You next may ask: “So, which of you is correct?”

At which time we reach that hoped for consensus, as each of us replies, confidently, “I am.”