It’s always an interesting experience when I go out of my comfort zone when viewing films. I normally love my animation and romcoms and don’t get out to see the thrillers and scary movies very often. However, occasionally I take risks and it’s so much fun when they pay off. This week I had the chance to see the sexy caper A Simple Favor and to my surprise I really enjoyed it!
A Simple Favor is directed by Paul Feig and stars Anna Kendrick as a Mom/youtuber named Stephanie who becomes friends with a sexy femme fatale Mom played by Blake Lively. Lively’s character Emily drinks strong martinis and seems the epitome of cool and mysterious. And the fact she seems to like hanging out with Stephanie makes her feel cool and empowered.
Then one day Emily asks Stephanie to do (as the title suggests) a simple favor and then disappears. The rest of the movie is a slick murder mystery where we put the pieces together as each new clue is revealed. It kind of reminded me of something like Clue which has mystery but also some dark comedic banter.
Henry Golding continues to be the sexiest man alive as Emily’s husband and Blake Lively is so great in her role. Anna Kendrick was terrific in the sweet bubbly parts but not as convincing when she had to be more cutthroat and calculated.
A Simple Favor is filmed with a ton of style and panache and while I’m not sure all the plot devices hold up to deep scrutiny it is an enjoyable whodunit to watch. It’s funny because with Hallmark I’ve been watching all these murder mystery films lately and this kind of felt like a sexy version of those films. I hate to use the word but it was just fun.
As far as flaws, I didn’t really understand why they kept using french music and like I said Anna Kendrick didn’t quite work for me in some of the more devious scenes. It also could be maybe 15 minutes shorter.
All that said, I really enjoyed A Simple Favor. It’s a sexy mystery thriller that will keep you guessing and smiling as each new reveal unfolds
As far as content, A Simple Favor is rated R for language, sensuality and violence. I would say is a medium level R rating and fine for adults.
I read the book and found it good, but not amazing. So I think I’ll pass on the film.
Because I see a lot of movies, I’m often asked for movie recommendations. I try to not to recommend what I like but what I think the person requesting my opinion will like. There are people I think will enjoy this. Yet never in a million years would I have recommended this to you. I’ll allow my review to speak to the reasons why: https://fastfilmreviews.com/2018/09/15/a-simple-favor/
Glad you enjoyed it though. 🙂
Haha. Yeah I can be a bit of an enigma sometimes and I like that
Great review. I saw the movie last night as was really surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Please check out my spoiler-free review (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SlYsXjL-oc) and let me know what you think.
This movie was a welcomed surprise to me. I liked it. Plus, Kendrick and Lively were excellent in their respective roles.