Paul Feig is a veteran comedic filmmaker, writer, and performer (read Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy and Ghostbusters). A Simple Favor, released in 2018, was a different story. Sure, there were some laughs, but the storyline twist was the star of this Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively film. Once again, the primary cast is fairly unusual. After all, Anna is recognised for her comic abilities, whereas Lively is not. And it was a suspenseful dark comedy. As it turned out, both principal performers performed an outstanding job in their respective roles.
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves; first, a little background on the subject for those who are unfamiliar with it. Stephanie Smothers, Anna’s character, is a young widowed mother who is vivacious, friendly, and self-deprecating. She’s also a YouTuber who has slept with her half-brother (SPOILER). Emily Nelson’s child attends the same school as hers (Blake Lively). Emily, on the other hand, is rarely present at any school activities that involve parents. However, Stephanie and Emily’s paths meet one day, and the viewer sees Emily as Stephanie’s polar opposite. She is a confident, self-assured working lady who wears fashionable power suits all the time. Her spouse, as well as their large home, are extremely lovely. Soon after, they become friends and begin spending time together, sharing secrets, which is when things start to go wrong, as they typically do in such situations. From there, the story takes a turn for the better.
Normally, when watching a thriller, you can’t help but wonder who may be to blame, or whether the genius is to blame. While viewing the movie, I did the same thing, and Feig’s directing and Jessica Sharzer’s snappy script (based on Darcey Bell’s novel of the same name) had me wondering until the very end. Well, almost. The story’s twists and turns are rapid, occasionally unsettling, but nearly always intellectual. The desperation of the protagonists, as well as their human frailties, were also underlined. Really, no one is the heroine here (save maybe Kendrick’s Stephanie). The nicest element of the narrative was that the protagonists were on an equal footing.
The stars of A Simple Favour were Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. The voyage would not have been nearly as pleasurable without their honest, hilarious representations of these gloriously flawed ladies. As far as I’m concerned, Lively was a revelation.
