I said I wouldn’t see this movie… But I have to give the people what they want. I predicted A Simple Favor would be “messy and lack-luster” and while I was on the right track, this film can best be described in one word: Unpredictable.
Let me give you a quick synopsis of what A Simple Favor is about.
Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is a perky, mommy-blogger who struggles with loneliness after becoming a widow. When Emily (Blake Lively), an outspoken, PR exec with a killer sense of fashion, takes an interest in Stephanie after their son’s have a play date, an unlikely friendship forms that is bound by secrets and jealousy. Emily asks “a simple favor” of Stephanie to pick up her son after school and then she vanishes – leaving Stephanie to decipher the little known information she has about her new friend to see if Emily really was who she said she was.
My first complaint is the marketing tactics chosen for this film. From the looks of the trailer, you would think this film would be suspenseful, thrilling, and dramatic. Instead, it’s actually campy, cringe-worthy and, even more surprisingly, funny.
Kendrick is hysterical, taking what could have been a boring role and turning it into something all her own, while also playing off of Lively’s dry humor and borderline insulting comments. Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) plays Emily’s husband but he becomes obsolete as the real power in this film comes from the women. Kendrick’s doe-eyes and Lively’s striking beauty are ploys to distract you from the deeper, darker attributes of the characters they play.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by this film but still slightly underwhelmed. I enjoyed the comedy aspect but found the ending was too sprawled out and slightly clunky. It almost felt as though they had three endings to choose from and mid-way through filming they changed their mind on which one they wanted to use.
I’m interested to see what YOU have to say about this film. Check it out and let me know in the comments below what you thought of the ending!
A Simple Favor is in theaters now.
A Movie Lovers Review 