Directed by:
Paul FeigScreenplay:
Jessica SharzerCinematography:
John SchwartzmanComposer:
Theodore ShapiroCast:
Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Rupert Friend, Linda Cardellini, Andrew Rannells, Kelly McCormack, Bashir Salahuddin, Melissa O'Neil (more)VOD (3)
Plots(1)
The film follows Stephanie Ward (Anna Kendrick), a blogger who becomes friends with the glamorous Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) after meeting outside their children's school. The pair begin to form a strong bond, only for Emily to suddenly disappear shortly after calling Stephanie asking her to do her a small favour. With no sign of her after days of searching, Stephanie begins looking into the secrets of Emily's past as she desperately searches for answers. The cast also includes Rupert Friend, Linda Cardellini and Henry Golding. (Lionsgate UK)
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Reviews (8)
A non-alcoholic version of Gone Girl for a less demanding or, if you want, weekend audience. The lightness and briskness is taken care of by the geeky Anna Kendrick and the sexy Blake Lively. Both are excellent, it's just the script and the plot that are questionable. That said, as a light crime-comedy it’s still bearable.
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I consider movies with Blake Lively my private guilty pleasures. I'll check out Darcey Bell's book, but I definitely wouldn't be interested in a thriller like this without the movie. However, as a spectacle based on the contrasting talents of Blake and Anna Kendrick, it was a treat. A treat for the eyes.
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An inoffensive female thriller from the hard-working Paul Feig, but unfortunately for me a rip-off of the much better Gone Girl. Anna Kendrick is such a cute dork in almost every movie and I don’t mind, opposite her is Blake Lively playing a cynical bitch here and again she is insanely hot. The film is well paced, offers the occasional humorous interlude and is suspenseful in places. It also offers a few twists, but they won't surprise those who have seen Gone Girl. Too bad it was too predictable for me and it didn't offer anything violent or subversive, but I suspect it is aimed primarily at a female audience, so that's fine. As a light thriller one-shot it works. 65%
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It's a shame the film wasn't a bit more comedic and that the humor started to veer away from seriousness and attempts at suspense as time went on, because both actresses are amazing and the potential was great. Given that Paul Feig decided to use (almost) only French songs, he might as well have made something in the style of French comedies.
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Of particular note is that A Simple Favor teeters on the edge of serious thriller while not shying away from using a self-parodying approach in some passages. The whole thing just doesn't take itself entirely seriously, which is appealing and gives the whole film a nice touch of light playfulness. On the other hand, the thriller storyline with its slightly mysterious elements works quite reliably in its right, even if it is a bit predictable (which I personally didn't mind too much, because this simply isn't a hardcore thriller like Gone Girl). As a result, A Simple Favor is a viewer-friendly and, given the central theme, quite rewarding affair. Thumbs up for the approach taken, the excellent Anna Kendrick, and the unprecedentedly gorgeous Blake Lively (she doesn't look as good in any other film as she does here). "Brotherfucker!"
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