A SIMPLE FAVOUR

(15)

Single mother and food blogger Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) is devoted to her young son Miles (Joshua Satine) and enthusiastically volunteers for every afterschool activity.

One day, Miles pleads with his mother to invite best friend Nicky (Ian Ho) over for dinner.

Nicky’s mother turns out to be glamorous PR director Emily Nelson (Blake Lively), who masterminds global campaigns for self-absorbed fashion designer Dennis Nylon (Rupert Friend).

Stephanie befriends glamour puss Emily and she meets the PR doyenne’s husband, Sean (Henry Golding), who refers to his high-flying wife as “a beautiful ghost”.

When Emily calls one afternoon and asks Stephanie to pick up Nicky from school while she emergency, obliges.

The publicist never returns to collect her son and deals with an Stephanie gladly Stephanie turns amateur sleuth to unravel the mystery.

A Simple Favour is a sinfully entertaining comedy thriller, which blends Hitchcockian whodunnit and black comedy, garnished with twists of spite and betrayal.

Think Gone Girl with killer one-liners and perfectly shaken martinis and you’ll be close to the lip-smacking delights of a battle of the sexes in small town suburbia.

Kendrick captures the tics and tenacity of her socially awkward homebody.

Jessica Sharzer’s script, adapted from Darcey Bell’s novel, is pleasingly self-aware as it references classic thrillers to keep us guessing as to Emily’s whereabouts.