If you took all the mystery noir
conventions collected over decades and blended them together, you might
come up with “A Simple Favor,” a fun, mildly-flawed thriller
directed by Paul Feig, based on the novel by Darcy Bell.
Anna Kendrick plays Stephanie, a
struggling, single mom and Mommy-vlogger. When she isn't posting
crafts and recipes on the internet, she is over-volunteering at her
son's kindergarten. The perky nerd strikes up an unlikely friendship
with the mother of one of the other kids. Emily (Blake Lively) is a
glamorous career woman, head of PR for a fashion house. She has
little time for family and is unapologetic about it. Stephanie is
drawn to her beautiful, new friend's confidence and fancy martinis,
and Emily is drawn to Stephanie's guilelessness. She increasingly
uses Stephanie for free babysitting, ultimately asking that she take
her son in for a couple of days while she goes on an emergency
business trip. When Emily never returns from that trip, Stephanie
starts peeling back the layers of her mysterious friend's secret
life.
You should definitely watch “A
Simple Favor.” It's a fun, twisty, ultimately somewhat bonkers
crime thriller with a great cast and some Blake Lively nudity. I
mentioned some mild flaws, which take the form of some plot holes. I
suspect that Emily's actions and motivations are better developed and
explained in the book. In the limited time-frame of the film, not
everything makes sense. That doesn't ruin the fun of the film,
though, you just have to go with it.
3.5 stars out of 5
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