In a time long before television programs such as Geraldo or The Jerry Springer Show and centuries before National Enquirer or TMZ, there existed a platform that was as scandalous as they come. If you were royalty, there was a 50/50 chance that skeletons and dark secrets were a daily occurrence. Rather than facing public scrutiny or an arsenal of attorneys, in those times banishment and death were the norm in dealing with loose lips. Because of that, some of the juicier stories were only whispered and not really widespread. Every great once in a while, a tasty story found its way through. The Favourite tells one such story.

Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) rules Great Britain with a frail hand, but thankfully she has her close friend, Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), by her side to help maintain a smooth leadership. Their companionship extends well beyond that of a professional capacity. And even though Lady Sarah was committed to her marriage, she was also committed to Queen Anne in the most intimate of ways. Their relationship holds steady until a new element is introduced to the equation. A new servant by the name of Abigail (Emma Stone) enters the picture in the most innocent of ways. Soon however, Anne would find herself the object of two women’s affection as both Lady Sarah and Abigail do what they must to gain the favor of the Queen. This is not your typical story of prim and proper love.

In a more upbeat setting, at least The Favourite should cast a wider net on general audiences. The story and its outcome are quite intriguing (and scandalous) even if you don’t fancy yourself as an admirer of the history of 18th century England. Director Yorgos Lanthimos typically gives audiences movies that are more surreal than this one. The advantage to him dialing the “weirder aspects” way back is that this particular feature should appeal to a wider range of moviegoers. There won’t an assortment of head-scratching WTF moments as experienced in some of his early works such as The Lobster (2015) or The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017), yet there are moments that’ll have you gasping just a bit while feeling a bit uncomfortable.

The strongest element of this film is in its acting, specifically the execution of the roles. Olivia Colman slays it as the vulnerable Queen Anne. Rachel Weisz is completely in control as the manipulative right hand woman, and Emma Stone shows various depths in her acting repertoire that are a surprise to see. While The Favourite contains a fair amount of comedy due to behavioral absurdities mostly, the tone is balanced nicely with drama. The change of pace allows for the ability to resonate with fans on different levels. Just when you feel that you’ve got the overall vibe of what this movie is – BAM you’re headed in a different direction.

The Favourite isn’t a great movie by any stretch of the imagination, yet the acting prowess of its three main stars keeps audiences engaged. If you’re looking for a little English history that includes a few chuckles and some scandalous behavior, this could be something to entertain you for a couple of hours. Actually, it’s not unlike some of the craziness that goes on three centuries later…anyway, you can catch this royal pain in theaters now.