The Favourite poster

The Favourite (2018)

Film · 2h · Rated R

Comedy, Drama

Royal cousins scheme and backstab for power in a darkly comic, intimate, and gritty 18th-century court.

Campy and satirical, with dry wit. A date-night pick at a measured pace. Emotionally it is heavy.

Not on a US subscription service as of Oct 26, 2026.

The Favourite parents guide

Nothing past what an R promises: moderate sex and nudity, and some violence.

Scare
Not scary
Jump scares
None noted
Gore
Light gore
Some blood or injury, briefly.
Violence
Some violence
Some fighting or peril.
Sex and nudity
Moderate
Moderate means a sex scene or nudity on screen, even brief, or sexual violence that is described or implied but never shown.
Language
Moderate
Some strong profanity, a few f-words.

How we rate: an AI reads what is known about each title and tags it 0 to 3; we check the tags against a hand-rated set and correct them by hand when readers tell us. Estimates, not a scene-by-scene review. Spot a mistake? Tell us.

Three questions

How gory is The Favourite?
Light gore and some violence.
What is The Favourite rated, and is it OK for kids?
No. It is rated R, with moderate sex and nudity, and some strong language.

What is The Favourite about?

England, early 18th century. The close relationship between Queen Anne and Sarah Churchill is threatened by the arrival of Sarah's cousin, Abigail Hill, resulting in a bitter rivalry between the two cousins to be the Queen's favourite.

Does it have a happy ending? (spoiler-safe)

Bittersweet. It earns its ending, but not everyone gets what they want.

Cast and crew

Directed byYorgos Lanthimos
StarringEmma Stone, Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, Mark Gatiss

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Uses the TMDB API; not endorsed or certified by TMDB. Intensity, content, tone and pace tags are CouchRot's own.