"A Simple Favor" (2018) Review

 “A Simple Favor” is an especially stylish, yet extremely psychotic blockbuster thriller. 

Directed by: Paul Feig

Rated: R

Runtime: 1:59

Review by: Livi Edmonson

Director Paul Feig, who many may know as the director of comedic hits such as “Bridesmaids” (2011) and “Ghostbusters” (2016), gives audiences everywhere a darker side of his work with “A Simple Favor”, which is adapted from the 2017 novel of the same title. The mystery movie is about a stay at home, vlogger mom named Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), who befriends a not as involved, super high-class mom named Emily (Blake Lively). The friendship first begins when Emily’s son begs her to allow him to invite Stephanie’s son over for a play date, which means a cocktail party at Emily’s million-dollar home for the mommies.

Right off the bat, Stephanie begins to notice Emily’s mysterious demeanor. Emily has a perfect husband, job, house, and life in general, yet she still seems to be not only ungrateful, but also unhappy, leaving everyone to wonder why she is the way she is. However, the mystery of Emily becomes even more suspicious when she asks Stephanie to pick up her son from school, only to disappear just hours later. 

“A Simple Favor” has many things to offer to its box office moviegoers. For one, the casting is brilliant. Blake Lively, who is not exactly a big-budget film type of actress, yet still one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, absolutely shines as Emily, giving fellow “Gossip Girl” fans a nostalgic vibe of her beloved “Serena van der Woodsen” era. Anna Kendrick also gives a quirky, possessive performance to be noted, but she quickly falls into Lively’s shadow due to her performance being not as remarkable as her leading co-star’s. Hollywood’s man of the hour, Henry Golding of “Crazy Rich Asians” delivers a thrilling and sophisticated performance as Emily’s husband, Sean. As if his work in “Crazy Rich Asians” wasn’t enough to put the actor on Hollywood’s watchlist, “A Simple Favor” has undoubtedly secured his place in the hearts of critics and audiences everywhere.

Audience members that are a fan of mysterious psycho-thrillers such as “Gone Girl” (2014) or even “Nocturnal Animals” (2016), will find that “A Simple Favor” is the flick for them. With Paul Feig as the director, one can expect a certain comedic undertone when seeing one of his films and that is exactly what this film has: just enough humor to make the harsh darkness of the plot less brutal and more light-hearted.

 I know you’re probably thinking, “how can a thriller be light-hearted?” and trust me, I do not understand it either, but it just is. The film did not give me nightmares, even though it probably should have, which in my opinion, is a great thing. Because so many audience members will be seeing this movie for its overall star quality and entertaining genre, it was very important that the filmmakers behind the film didn’t paint a picture so frightening that it scarred its audience members and their opinions of the actors. Trust me, this happens more often than one would often think, but “A Simple Favor” has its priorities in the right order. 

All in all, Feig’s new film is a fantastic movie that will keep audience members on the edge of their seat, questioning every single second of it, pondering upon what will happen next. It is suspenseful, edgy, and cinematically correct. Fans of the best-selling book will without a doubt, enjoy seeing the thriller come alive on the big screen. But others who aren’t as familiar with the story but just want to see the film because of its all-star cast or interesting genre, will also find themselves infatuated with this extremely creepy but ultimately lovable film.