Not The Favourite

We three sisters went to the show this month. The last time this happened was...1980ish. None of us enjoyed The Favourite. The last time we agreed on a movie was 1970ish. For decades we (including our mother) individually have hurried to screen all the Academy Award nominated films before the ceremony.

Not too long into this screening, the music got on our nerves. Then the fisheye camera view got on our nerves. I adjusted my glasses. My sister adjusted her seat. The other sister turned her cellphone back on. Then I started growling at the costumes. All black and white outfits for the castle concert. And in one please take this out in the director's cut scene - the lack of costume. Then we lost it in the excessive wiggage: I got the giggles and those are catchy. Which gargantuan wigs must be, too.

Discussion on the way out of the theater, through the parking lot and into the car. Confusion about the buzz. Is this historical? Was there a Queen Anne? What country? It's a satire? Of what? What's with the ending? and the music? and the fisheye lens? and the sex? Is there some correlation with power? Whose?

Did Baz Luhrman direct this? Wouldn't it have been fun if Wes Anderson had?

Does gout manifest in open wounds?

What's with the rabbits? And need we see correlation between rabbits and wigs? I requoted a former boss, shouting over his bubble charts from his office - we have significance!

And the fisheye lens thing. I'm a fan of fish POV: I did a cartoon series with satirical trout. As all trout fisherpersons may not acknowledge - but in fact, know - trout are cannier. The director nattered about what his camera angle choice was about - something about mirrors of the period. Is that significant? What was this film satirizing? Why do we never see the rabbits in fisheye?

What are the actual chances Lady Sarah would fall off her horse into a brothel? And what does that convey? And why do we only see fornication from behind? Do we have significance? Does this have anything to do with rabbits?

Does having woman + woman sex make it a woman gaze movie? Does soliquoying about political machinations while giving a handjob to a man pass the Bechdel?

As I switched the car on, my sister came up with what the ending possibly meant, and then she directed it better. The end.

It took about 7 minutes to get from the seat to the car seat. We all agreed the leads were fantastic actors and need be nominated. We listed the categories the film better not be nominated in. [In a reverse scoring coup, we scored 100%.] And we were done talking about the movie.

Now I remember the last film we all saw together. Reds, 1981. We agreed it better not be nominated for film editing or director.