Do yourself a stylish Favor
A Simple Favor (M, 117 mins) Directed by Paul Feig Reviewed by Graeme Tuckett ★★★★
In suburban Connecticut, only 90 minutes by Porsche from downtown Manhattan, single mother and eternally perky video blogger Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) has a brand new crush in her life.
Impossibly glamorous neighbour Emily (Blake Lively) has a son at the same school as Stephanie’s wee boy. Over several martinis, an unlikely friendship appears to be born. Unlikely, in that Emily is everything Stephanie apparently is not. With her bracing amorality, handsome husband, wardrobe of slickly tailored suits and Imelda Marcos-level collection of shoes, Emily hits Stephanie’s mum-at-home routine like a hurricane.
But is Emily the woman she appears to be? And will Stephanie wipe the stars out of her eyes in time to see any of the many red flags this new friendship comes with?
A Simple Favor is visually slick and stylish, cracks along at a pleasing pace, and although the storyline is horribly contrived and the ending doesn’t so much strain credulity as run it down and leave it dying in a ditch, the film still goes through a pleasing number of twists, turns and red herrings before it finally implodes.
Most importantly of all, this film is Fun. Jessica Sharzer’s adaptation plays like a metaparody and perfect send-up of Gone Girl, Girl on the Train and all their imitators.
From the moment Emily steps out of her black 911 and sashays across the school carpark, we know we are not here to be particularly frightened, disturbed or shocked. We are just here to be entertained via a mostly good-natured dark comedy and farce with a couple of strong female leads at its heart.
Lively and – especially – Kendrick are both in ferocious form here. Lively has a hoot sending up the femme fatale tropes while still sketching Emily as a beguiling and magnetic presence. Meanwhile, Kendrick’s journey from doormat to urban diva is a joy to watch. In support, Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) deploys his seeming complete absence of personality to maximum effect and Bashir Salahuddin (Netflix’s GLOW) finds some great moments as the detective who just isn’t going to accept any story at face value. A Simple Favor isa funny, stylish and well put together film. Director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) gives his stars plenty of space to work their magic and gets the acidity levels exactly right.