Brutish, Boorish, British yawn

Rating: 6/10 (21 March 2019)

It's safe to say that Director Yorgos Lanthimos has a thing for animals, especially lobsters. So thus the Favourite answers some questions no one really asks, such as whether duck races are ethical or whether rabbits can serve adequately as a surrogate family. Oh, and hello to Emma Stone! How did you end up in this tawdry affair?
I suppose it is a historical docudrama comedy or a statement about life being nasty and brutish even for a queen, but watching wealthy, upper-stuff elite act boorish in the face of bloody, distant war smacks of triteness, somewhat reconjuring feelings felt upon trying to fight one's way through an uninterrupted viewing of The Death of Stalin. The Favourite smashes together ideas from Amadeus, Barry Lyndon, and The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, all of which, and each of which, are sorely and surely better films.
What if a bunch of miserable, thankless, and uninteresting people all had to live together in one house? Perhaps The Favourite is a modern-day biting critique of The Real World, or even a subtly clever reboot of Fey Big Brother. Perhaps The Favourite is an homage to shooting guns, moist leg massages, fine dining, ballroom dancing, and heartless handiwork.
Or perhaps, and this is the most likely scenario, The Favourite is another movie, and it is not one of my favorites.