Hey there friends! It's me again! Today I will be reviewing the new Anna Kendrick/Blake Lively thriller, A Simple Favor. Now I don't know if you know this about me but I am a huuuuuuuge Pitch Perfect fan so I love Anna Kendrick a lot so I was pretty stoked to see this film. But... I don't want to spoil anything so let's move on. HERE WE GO!
PLOT:
Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is your average, overenthusiastic mom who's just doing her thing. She has a mom blog where she gives you tips, recipes, crafts, etc. She's not too popular with the other moms in her son's class due to her high energy but she means well. One day when picking up her son, Miles, from school, he and his friend, Nicky, beg to have a play date. Stephanie refuses because she doesn't know Nicky's mother. Enter Emily (Blake Lively) making a dramatic entrance in the rain that makes everyone stop what they're doing, including Stephanie. The kids beg Emily if they can have a play date and she reluctantly agrees, inviting Stephanie and Miles to her house.
At the house Emily and Stephanie get to know each other, well one better than the other. Emily is a very secretive person who doesn't like to give too much away about herself. Stephanie thinks this is strange but is too enamored with her to really question it. While at the house Stephanie meets Emily's husband, Sean (Henry Golding) who also seems slightly suspicious. Despite this the two women become "best friends" and spend quite a lot of time together. On occasion Emily will have Stephanie pick up Nicky because she works a high profile job and says sometimes it's hard to get away. One day Emily calls Stephanie asking for a simple favor... can she pick up Nicky from school? Stephanie doesn't think twice about this because she's done it before.
Two days pass since that call and Stephanie hasn't heard a word from Emily. Worried, she calls Sean who's in London due to his mother breaking her hip. She explains the situation to him and he rushes home as fast as he can. He tells Emily sometimes she does this, just runs away, that she's a mystery even he can't solve. They call the police and report Emily missing but what they discover could change everything. What really happened to Emily?
REVIEW:
This movie was directed by Paul Feig (the guy who directed Bridesmaids, Spy, and the Heat) who's primarily a comedy director so this movie was a different turn for him. Although it did still have some comedy it was a way darker comedy but it still worked. I think he did a really great job on this film that sort of took him out of his comfort zone. There were still Paul Feig elements but overall it had a different feel than his previous films.
The performances were all very good. Blake Lively played a character that's very different from any character she has played before. She's often the good, nice girl who everyone wants to be. In this film her character is much darker and mysterious and she played that really well. Her character would be aggressive and you weren't sure why. You never knew what her character was really thinking, she played it close to the chest. Anna Kendrick also did a great job. She was pretty much playing herself, the quirky, excited friend but she also had great dramatic moments as well. Her character took an interesting journey. I can't go into too much detail because it would spoil the movie but her performance was really interesting and captivating. She really knows how to carry a movie and keep the audience engaged. But again, I really love Anna Kendrick. Then there's Henry Golding in his second film this year. I loved him in Crazy Rich Asians and I loved him again in this film. He really carried his own with Anna and Blake. His character was also slightly mysterious and we as the audience weren't really sure what side he was playing on.
I really enjoyed the plot of this film. I thought it was interesting and I loved how the trailers didn't really give anything away so you didn't know what to expect. The pacing was very good I thought. Pacing can be tricky in these types of films. They can move it too quickly that gives the whole mystery away or can take too long and cram too many facts that the audience is confused or just doesn't care. This movie had a nice balance of keeping the mystery alive by not giving too much away but also giving you just enough facts to keep you interested. I was constantly guessing what was going to happen because there were so many possibilities. You don't really get to know anything about Emily's character and motives at the start but throughout the movie you get some of her backstory slowly, piece-by-piece. There was also a couple of great twists that surprised me. Again the pacing and timing of the reveals were great and made this movie work.
I don't usually mention the costumes in films but I feel like I needed to mention these. One because I wanted everything Blake Lively wore but also I think the costumes really helped define the characters. Stephanie's clothes were very colorful and bright. She wore a lot of skirts and sweaters which could portray how she's more vulnerable and naive. She was a very positive and curious person. Emily's clothes were the opposite of that. She wore a lot suits, darker tones, and button up shirts. This could be used to show that she's a very closed off person. She doesn't like to give too much away, she's a mystery. I may be reading way too much in their costumes but I really do think they carefully thought them through and had them define each character.
Overall I really enjoyed this film and it made for an interesting mystery. I liked going in knowing nothing and trying to figure it out along the way. I think they chose their reveal times really well and had great pacing. It was a fun film with great performances and great direction.
PARENT'S GUIDE:
There is quite a bit of cussing with many usages of the f-word. There is a painting in the movie that plays a significant role that is of a fully nude woman. There is some sexual and violent content. This film is rated R so it's probably best to leave the kiddos at home for this one.
OVERALL RATING:
For this film I'm going to give it a...
A Simple Favor: 8/10
I gave it this rating because overall I really enjoyed the film but I could have done without the sexual content. It wasn't needed and I thought it lessened a good movie. There was also a lot of cussing which wasn't necessary.
CONCLUSION:
Well there you have it folks! Another review done! I hope you enjoyed reading and I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've seen this movie. As always thanks for visiting and make sure to leave me a comment or suggestion. Tell your friends! Until next time!
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