Almost

Rating: 6/10 (4 August 2019)

I always hate Rachel Weisz in films. She always picks roles where she plays an unempathetic sociopath where she desires success at the expense of other characters (see The Shape of Things for the quintessential example of this). However in this film, Emma Stone plays her foil, who assumes her role better than she can, and in doing so, becomes the antagonist. This rather clever turnabout makes The Favorite an enticing watch until the end in which she is given no respite, despite her cleverness and her seemingly unbreakable accord with the queen. This makes the film seem rather one-sided and a bit hard to believe, despite Stone's clever rise to glory. The erotic lesbian scenes help pique the viewers interest in an increasingly disappointing war of political enemies, but it is not sufficient to save the film. The overall concept is brilliant, but the execution hints at a twist that never comes. The end is possible, but improbable, disappointing, and feels lazy.