MPAA Rating: R/Genre: Dark Comedy Crime Thriller/Stars: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Linda Cardellini, Dustin Milligan, Jean Smart, Rupert Friend, Eric Johnson, Bashir Salahuddin, Aparna Nancherla, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho, Kelly McCormack, Sarah Baker, Melissa O’Neil, Patti Harrison, Corinne Conley/Runtime: 117 minutes
I think it is a fairly safe statement to make that, among the multitude of genres that make up the entirety of movie magic out there, one of the genres that audiences will consistently turn to time and time again with a smile on their face, a fondness in their heart, and a desire to utilize their brain in rather than turn it off as soon as the movie starts will always be the mystery/thriller genre. I mean can you really blame people dear reader? Not only does the genre have a relatively good track record at ensuring the movie goer who chooses to invest their time and energy in watching a particular cinematic example from the aforementioned genre is kept firmly on the edge of their seat, but they also manage to do a really good job at ensuring that from the word go until the credits begin to roll you will definitely be left guessing at what exactly is playing out fairly well. With that in mind though, there is one thing that the vast majority of cinematic mysteries don’t do and that is make you laugh like you have never laughed before. Not because they don’t want to, but because, according to cinematic logic, isn’t that what a comedy is for? Well apparently dear reader no one bothered to tell film helmer Paul Feig (as in the guy who gave us Freaks and Geeks, Bridesmaids, Spy, and some movie about women hunting ghosts) this. I say this because it is that very contrast that he seeks to bring audiences with his 2018 slice of cinema, and film I am reviewing for you today, A Simple Favor. A film that may take us by the hand down a twisty and potentially ominous road set off by someone eerily vanishing with a potential homicide to go, but which also manages to have more than its fair share of belly genuinely laugh out loud funny moments to it as well. Yet despite the fact that this combination is one that might raise more than a few eyebrows to say nothing of the fact that Feig’s previous cinematic endeavor before this wasn’t exactly met with a ton of audience love/adoration (to put it politely) I don’t think he’ll have that problem here because I really did dig the heck out of this movie dear reader. No it’s by no means a perfect film by any stretch, but with the aid of compelling and engaging work on both sides of the camera, A Simple Favor manages to be an astonishing, riveting, and genuinely funny slice of cinema that, contrary to its name, wonderfully proves that the only thing that is simple about it is its name.
The plot is as follows: An adaptation of a novel by Darcey Bell, A Simple Favor gets its puzzling narrative afoot by introducing us to our heroine named Stephanie Smothers. Stephanie, we are rather quick to learn, is a young recently widowed yet devoted to a t (and then some) mother who runs her own quasi-sorta successful video blog (or vlog if you prefer) where she provides a seemingly infinite stream of recipes, craft ideas, and just general life cheats to those who watch. In other words: this is a woman who could easily play the role of Influencer Mom of the Year IF there was such an award and if Kris Jenner didn’t buy up all the votes beforehand. All jokes aside, we soon see that our heroine’s life is thrown a rather unexpectedly delightful curveball when we see that her son Miles, in that way that kids somehow do infinitely better than adults, is able to make a friend at school by the name of Nicky and they want to spend time together after school. Yet even though our heroine is elated about the possibility, we see that she is met with some rather intriguing opposition in the form of Nicky’s mom Emily. Soon enough though, we see that Emily, albeit reluctantly, agrees to let the kids have their play date with two conditions attached. Those being that it must be at her home and Stephanie must have at least a single martini with her whilst the kids do their thing. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn that this pair of women are ones who are pretty much the definition of an “odd-couple friendship”. This is because whilst Stephanie is someone who is very much eager to please and seems like the female equivalent of a saint in many respects, Emily on the other is blunt, brisque, confident, and absolutely invasive with her questions that she asks other people. She also is someone who, among other things, enjoys chastising her husband Sean. A man who, despite penning a phenomenal book a decade prior, hasn’t seemingly had the drive to put anything else down on paper in the time since. Yet despite how different our pair of gal pals are, we see that they are (astonishingly) able to become really good friends. Things take a turn for the ominous however when one afternoon Emily anxiously calls our heroine and asks her if she could possibly take Nicky home from school since Sean is in London and she has a work engagement. Yet when hours turn to days and our heroine has still not received any updates from Emily, we see that the police get involved and an investigation gets underway even if the consensus seems to be that Emily might not be among the living any more. As a result, we see that due to this and a few other reasons our intrepid heroine decides to do a little poking around her friend’s long-buried past. One that will not only reveal secrets long-buried and truths that might never have thought they’d see the light of day, but could very ultimately well lead her to discover what happened to her friend that fateful day. As for if she does or not that is something I think I will let you discover for yourself….
Now right off, it is worth noting that the work behind the camera on this twisty slice of cinema is really well done. This starts with the work done by Paul Feig at the helm and honestly, following his rather controversial (to put it politely) 2016 attempt at a Ghostbusters film, this is very much a return to form for him even if this film is less like 2015’s Spy, 2013’s The Heat, and 2011’s Bridesmaids and more like something in the vein of something like Diabolique, Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion, or even 2014’s Gone Girl. Even so however, there is no denying that Feig does manage to show quite a bit of skill with this significantly more suspenseful material than you might be expecting. Indeed not only does he do a grand job at ensuring the multitude of twists and turns in this are never able to be seen coming from a mile away, but he also does a wonderful job of being considerate to how smart the audience is by ensuring that we aren’t continually being befuddled following the pieces to the puzzle finally starting to come together. Along with the wonderful work done here by Feig at the helm, this twisty slice of cinema also manages to possess a truly top-tier screenplay from the absolutely brilliant Jessica Sharzer who, with her work here, manages to showcase a writing skill that is truly second to none. Indeed not only does every word make the necessary impact with an on-point degree of suspense to boot, but the script for this has dialogue in it that is so funny that don’t be surprised if you get quite the 117 minute, including credits, ab workout in whilst watching this film unfurl before you. We also see that this slice of cinema manages to contain quite a lovely soundtrack which, courtesy of a smattering of very pop stylized French tunes, also aids immensely in this movie feeling like a hybrid of a noir from Hollywood and an entry from the French New Wave time period of cinema. Speaking of the music in this film, I guess now would also be a great time to point out that this slice of cinema also manages to possesses a fantastic musical score from Theodore Shapiro. Indeed not only will you be tapping your toe to it, but this is also one musical score that manages to do a terrific job of elevating both the fun and seriousness that are equally as present within this narrative incredibly effectively. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in incredible work in the cinematography department by John Schwartzman at making the sets and characters look deceptively clean and pure when we already know they are anything but, the work done in the editing department by Brent White which effectively yet also makes the most out of every improvisation that I have not a single doubt in my mind were very much at play throughout this slice of cinema, and even some jaw-dropping incredible work from the costume department headed by Renee Ehrlich Kalfus in this at making each and every person in this right down to Lively and her very Katherine Hepburn-inspired suits look nothing short of phenomenal narrative there is no denying that the work done behind the camera on this is brilliant in the best way possible.
Of course, the other big element that without question helps this slice of cinema soar to the level that it is ultimately able to attain would have to come in the form of the phenomenal performances given by the immensely talented cast of players that have been assembled in front of the camera. This starts with Anna Kendrick in the lead role of Stephanie and honestly she is amazing. Indeed Anna Kendrick has long been one of my favorite actresses, even if some of her career choices have been a bit……weird to put it politely (Table 19, Pitch Perfect 3, and the Trolls films anyone?) and here she does a terrific job at utilizing the goofy borderline quirky and likable girl-next-door qualities that have consistently made her a joy to watch (except in the Trolls films, but that’s mostly because those movies are more irredeemable cinematic equivalents to kiddie sugar highs and less because of her work in them). With that being said though, it should be noted that despite her casting in this we see that Kendrick is not playing someone who is just this blend of goody-two shoes, vibrant, and animated. Indeed without going into spoilers in this, there is a heck of a lot more to Kendrick’s character than first meets the eye and I think it’s better for you to discover those things for yourself. Even with that in mind though, there is no denying that Kendrick does an excellent job at ensuring that, even with those elements to her character in mind, Stephanie is still both worth following and an incredibly likable individual you can’t help but root for. Besides the work done by Kendrick however, there is no denying that the MVP of the cast in this slice of cinema without question has to be Blake Lively in the role of Emily. Indeed this is very much Lively’s chance to portray one of the signature “blondes” that Hitchcock had in his movies back in the day and she immerses herself into the role and then some with a skill that is truly second to none. I mean not only does she bring a chilled and unfazed demeanor to the role that is perfectly in synch with the character, but she also makes Emily into someone who is blunt, riveting, venomous, and (I can’t lie) even terrifying at points as well. Suffice it to say that Lively manages to knock this out of the park and in the process gives audiences easily one of the 5 best performances she has given to date. Rounding out the main trio of top-caliber performances is Henry Golding in the role of Emily’s more than slightly hen-pecked husband Sean. Indeed Golding proves to be both delightful and charming in this to such an extent that he manages to utilize both as tools to make this character as effective as he possibly can. Indeed through the utilization of both a sly yet seemingly winning smile and an effortless elegance (which should definitely put him in consideration to be the next 007), we see that Golding does a masterful job at keeping you (and the character of Stephanie) consistently guessing as to just what kind of guy he truly is. Suffice it to say that when you also factor in wonderful support efforts from such game performers as Rupert Friend, Jean Smart, Andrew Rannells, and (in a scene-stealing cameo) Linda Cardellini among others it’s clear that there might be some hiccups to be found in this cinematic cocktail’s list of ingredients, but the work done by this talented cast of players is most assuredly not one of them.
All in all and at the end of the day is A Simple Favor a perfect slice of cinema? Honestly it might be a significant step up from Feig’s 2016 directorial effort (at least in the eyes of this reviewer), but at the same time by no means does that make this perfect cinematic fodder by any stretch of the imagination. Having said that however, does that make this the worst slice of cinema since Paul Feig made Unaccompanied Minors, Anna Kendrick decided to be a part of the Twilight franchise, or Blake Lively made a dump heap that called itself Green Lantern? Thankfully, I can definitely say that is most assuredly not the case either. Indeed here is a slice of cinema that strives just as much to keep you guessing as to the solution to the genuinely complex mystery at its heart all whilst making you laugh along the way. A combination that normally might not work out very well, but here is nothing short of terrific. To be sure, the various twists and curves in the road on this cinematic journey might after awhile leave you feeling like you are one more twist away from getting a serious case of cinematic whiplash and yes by the time you get to the end of this particular cinematic outing it does come extremely close to going from comprehensible to straight up ludicrous if not full blown absurd. With that in mind though, I feel like that is exactly what this slice of cinema is aiming for. Thus A Simple Favor might be as deep as the driest of dry martinis or a glass of bubbly champagne, but with the aid of compelling and extremely well-done work on both sides of the camera this slice of cinema is one that manages to be a clever and fun mystery that if I could ever find myself making a simplistic request of you then it would be no more or less than to please give this film a chance at the very least once. Just don’t be surprised if you find yourself wanting to see it again the moment the credits have begun to roll. Make of that dear reader what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give A Simple Favor “2018” a solid 4 out of 5.
