The Favourite

THE GIST: In early 18th century England, Queen Anne is frail and often ill, shows very little interest in matters of governance, and is temperamental, petulant, and aloof. Her lady-in-waiting, Lady Sarah, quietly runs the country in Anne's stead, making sure to steer policies and laws to her advantage. When Sarah hires a disgraced cousin, Abigail, as a new servant, she cannot imagine that Abigail's ambition is to regain her aristocratic status, for which there's very little she won't do.

The Favourite is a real cinematic gem. Fantastic sets, gorgeous costumes, a lively screenplay, and a solid hand behind the camera make for a really good movie.

Naturally, the best pleasure of all is watching Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone, three great actresses working at the top of their game. Weisz and Stone were both nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Colman, in something of an upset, even though well deserved, actually took home the Academy Award for Best Lead Actress.

The movie was also nominated for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Costume Design, and Production Design, underscoring its overall value.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Director Yorgos Lanthimos puts his spin on the period piece film, so even if it's not your cup of tea, you might want to give it a try.

Grade: 8