Allan Watched "A Simple Favor"
Led by the dynamic performances of Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, A Simple Favor comes out of the gate red hot and ends up being a twisty-turny joy from beginning to end, even if it stumbles as it approaches its wacky, satisfying conclusion.
Gut Feeling
An hour into this movie I caught myself thinking “Is this really going to be my favorite movie of the year?”, because my expectations were low for what I expected to be kind of a hokey concept. But that is how great the first hour of A Simple Favor is, with much of the credit going to its stars Anna Kendrick (Pitch Perfect, Up in the Air) and Blake Lively (Gossip Girl, The Shallows). Both give fierce, dynamic performances that up until the third act had me start putting this film into perspective with the great movies of 2018.
Alas, the film does not carry its strong story to the end, but its excitement and breathtaking twists still left me feeling like this was one of the more interesting movies I have seen in a long time. It has the wit and humor you would expect of a Paul Feig (Freaks and Geeks creator, Bridesmaids, Spy) film, and just enough thrills to keep your heart pounding as it sprints to its finish.
Great Performances Everywhere You Look
Kendrick and Lively are brilliant throughout, even when this film gets odd. Kendrick plays an offshoot of her prototype, Stephanie, an uptight and not-so-worldly single mother who wants to befriend the unpredictable firestorm that is Emily, played by Lively. Where Kendrick really shines, aside from her normal wit and the greatest delivery of a wink in the history of film, is in the tense moments where she becomes a curious, bad-ass freelance detective, carrying the traits her friend Emily teaches her in the first act.
Lively is a showstopper. Without raising her voice once that I can remember, she is strong and brash and somehow almost has you rooting for her twist after twist. She foils Kendrick perfectly, and you wait for her to get back on screen whenever she leaves.
What elevates this film from good to very good is the supporting cast. Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) continues his strong 2018 in A Simple Favor, playing Sean, Emily’s husband who turns to Stephanie when his wife goes missing. Lost in an emotional tornado throughout, Golding is very likable and is able to match the energy of his dynamic leading ladies at the film’s craziest moments.
Aparna Nancherla (Crashing, someone you MUST follow on twitter), Andrew Rannels (Girls, The Book of Mormon), and Kelly McCormack (Defiance) give the perfect dose of funny in their scenes as fellow parents at the school Emily and Stephanie’s kids go to. Linda Cardellini (Freaks and Geeks, Mad Men) gives a memorable performance as a painter with a past with Emily, and Rupert Friend (Homeland, Pride and Prejudice) is great as Emily’s fashion-designer-mogul boss.
From Jaw-Dropping, to Clunky, to Success
The stylish, suburban backdrop of its main setting in Connecticut is the perfect canvas for this thriller, while its most memorable tense moments happen at a lake that is a mix of Halloween and Michael Corleone’s Nevada compound in Godfather II. It also lends itself to Feig’s style perfectly, letting him make fun of suburbia, a woman who vlogs, and uptight fashion moguls, all while presenting itself as a true suspense success.
The only thing that knocks this movie down is its sloppy, rushed third act. You take on the chin about four twists in 20 minutes, and there are some choices that are head-scratching at best. It’s conclusion is strong, but if the approach was stronger, we’d be talking about this being one of the best movies of the year.
A Soundtrack to Own
The soundtrack is really great. You are led unexpectedly into horror while bopping to french standards with Stephanie, plotting people’s demises to LoLo, and rapping in the car to M.O.P. The music was stellar throughout, which is a common thread in the world of Feig’s films.
Random Thoughts
Two title name drops! One in the first thirty seconds! I just love when they say the title of the movie… Don’t you?
Anna Kendrick has two top-AK moments: Sending an awkward wink to Emily when she is trying to win her over, and drunkenly asking “Was it Stacy” in the perfect Kendrick, awkward delivery. Its hard to explain the greatness of these two moments, but you’ll get it when you see it.
Thematic breadcrumbs for the win!
Stephanie is super uptight and cautious about everything, but she doesn’t have a case for her iPhone? Really?
The Vlog comments at the bottom of the screen when Stephanie is filming herself are gold, and deserve your attention.
Quick Hits:
How many times have I seen this movie?
First time!
Where was I watching it?
For the first time in my life, I went to the movies by myself, and I loved it. I had my standard tub of popcorn and a large diet root beer, and whole back row was mine.
One Random Thought?
I look forward to the spin-off series starring Rannells, McCormack and Nancherla. I could watch those three be bratty parents for hours and hours.
Did Kellye Watch it? If Yes, did she like it. If no, would she like it?
I could have seen it with Kellye… but I went without her. She will really like this film, and hopefully will forgive me for straight-up ditching her to see this by myself.
Favorite fact I learned from Wikipedia
Blake Lively deleted every photo from her Instagram account to promote the film, and that’s pretty extra.
Favorite part
It’s gotta be the wink.
Least favorite part
There are some odd sexual choices that are spoilers, I’ll just leave it at that.
Would I recommend this movie and why?
Yes! It is worth whatever your local theater charges you at incredibly high margins to enjoy this film on a large screen with strangers.
So What Does Allan Give It?
One Gold Thumbs Up! Overall, a 78. I really liked it, and it’s worth your money. Never change AK.
