Paul Feig has made a name for himself in the comedy genre, directing financial and critical hits such as Bridesmaids, The Heat, and Spy. His new film A Simple Favor takes a slight detour from these, delivering a stylish mystery thriller, although he does successfully manage to inject some of his comedy into it.
In this film a mommy vlogger named Stephanie befriends the mysterious and secretive Emily, the mother of her son’s friend. The two grow closer, confiding secrets over martinis., but Stephanie can’t seem to truly breakthrough and truly know Emily. One day Emily asks Stephanie to pick her son up from school, and vanishes, leaving Stephanie, Emily’s husband Sean, as well as the authorities trying to uncover the mystery of her disappearance.
I loved the cast of this film. Anna Kendrick plays Stephanie, and brings her usual style of acting. She portrays Stephanie as a very cutesy single mom who loves volunteering in the school and is always first to sign up for bake sales. This role fits right into Kendrick’s wheelhouse, bringing her typical charm and quirkiness to this performance, but also showcasing a level of emotional complexity that I didn't see coming. Emily’s character is played by Blake Lively, and I’d say this is one of, if not her best, performance. She has a very clear grasp of her character and brings to life a high level of glitz and glamour, while also having quite an edge. Her character undergoes an interesting arc, that accompanied by Kendrick’s character makes for a very interesting narrative. The husband Sean is played by Henry Golding, well known for his recent role in Crazy Rich Asians. If you’ve seen that movie you’ll know what you’re getting with Golding, as he plays this role very similarly. That being said he constantly performed well, eliciting strong charm and charisma in his character.
I really liked what Paul Feig did with this film. This is a film that is best to go into with an open mind, and without any specific expectations. While this is no doubt a mystery thriller, Feig also manages to balance it with strong comedy. That makes this a film that isn’t bound to any one genre and I can see that not sitting well with people going in expecting a Gone Girl -esque thriller. Feig’s tonal balancing act works beautifully, there is never a point where the comedy feels out of place which impressed me. The film is stylistically quite strong. From the dozens of martinis, Emily’s beautiful house, and the gorgeous costume design, this film exudes high class and sophistication. There is also some very slick cinematography on display to capture all of it. Storywise, this film’s only issue is that there might be too much going on. From start to finish it is near impossible to guess where this story is going, which I’d definitely say is a positive. There are times where things may get a bit crazy for some people but I liked where the story went.
I wish this film was getting more buzz, because I feel as though all the controversy surrounding The Predator and the film festival hype is taking attention away from A Simple Favor. Go check this film out, it’s a unique film by a great filmmaker, and features some great performances from two of the most charming women out there.
Rating: 4/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
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