If I see enough bad movies in a row, I begin to think that I will never see another good movie again, but it is also possible that the crap movies soften me up enough to appreciate a film that normally I would never consider watching. I remember when Anna Kendrick was promoting A Simple Favor, and sorry, but she lost me at moms and mystery. While I like Kendrick, I will not see a movie solely because she is in it.
I have also managed to live a fairly Blake Lively free life. I only watch CW shows if they focus on people with powers, the supernatural or sci fi so Gossip Girl was never tempting even though it deals with Manhattan teens. I already lived it. Why would I watch it? She married Ryan Reynolds at a plantation……I am not sure why no one has noticed this, but she looks like Amber Heard. So I had the impression that she was television’s Amber Heard, pretty, but talented? Now Amber Heard may actually be problematic, and Lively is starting at plantation levels so…..zero desire to see A Simple Favor based on the cast alone.
After seeing A Simple Favor, I no longer think that Blake Lively is the poor man’s Amber Heard, but Amber Heard is the poor man’s Blake Lively! Kendrick matched Lively’s moves toe to toe. If Classic Hollywood had progressed in a straight line to today, this movie is what studios would offer us, and women actors would be able to take center stage as memorable as classic greats such as Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich or Olivia de Haviland.
Kendrick plays A Simple Favor’s protagonist, Stephanie, a widow who strives to be the perfect stay at home mother, much to the disgust of the other parents except for the mysterious Emily, played by Lively. Emily works, looks fabulous, curses and drinks then somehow takes a liking to Stephanie even though they are complete opposites. Stephanie is honored and flattered by Emily’s attention and is fascinated by Emily, which is not strange because Emily is fascinating. She seems to have the life that Stephanie could only dream about until Emily disappears leaving her husband and son behind. Stephanie decides to expand her scope from being a perfect mother to amateur detective to find out what happened to her best friend of a few weeks so she steps into her friend’s shoes, literally and figuratively, thus discovering that perfection is an illusion disguising the ugly truth….and bad finances. I love when sumptuous films get practical.
A Simple Favor intimately plunges into the story of two women on either extreme of the spectrum of perfect motherhood/womanhood. It is set in Connecticut with The City, hovering in the background. It is told from Stephanie’s point of view and initially told as a vlog entry then gradually segues back into her life as she experiences it, and her subscribers chime in to help her progress in the story, which is an amateur investigation. In real life, from the edges, other parents, the film’s Greek chorus, judge Stephanie as the perfect mom and Emily as the perfect career woman unaffected physically or mentally by motherhood. The movie wisely understands that their biological choices are the least interesting thing about both women, but still an essential foundation of how they navigate life. Stephanie is not as perfect as she seems, and Emily is not as above it all as she appears. They are both alone with their secrets. Both women discover an unexpected kinship and borrow elements of the other’s personality and style. Even though in terms of personality, we are closer to Emily than Stephanie in the first act (or rather I am, “You don’t need to apologize. It’s a fucked up female habit.”), Stephanie is more relatable as she feels thrilled to gain Emily’s interest. It is the weird transitive power of coolness. If the coolest person likes you, you may be cool plus you get an opportunity to peak behind the curtain. Vicarious coolness is as close as some of us get. Emily also gets something from the relationship—she enjoys studying Stephanie and maybe exploiting her kindness, which Stephanie as the price for passage into Emily’s world. As Stephanie becomes empowered to embrace her inner “Dark Mommy,” she becomes a full person and not her idea of whom she should be.
I hate mysteries because the stories are just thrown together, and the characters are archetypes, but A Simple Favor prioritizes our interest in the characters, their secrets and lives. I never could figure out the trajectory of the story and was delighted right until the end. I came up with several explanations, and one of them was right, but for me, it is the equivalent of throwing everything on the wall to see what would stick. The mystery is really figuring out the inscrutable motivations of the characters, which can be a mystery to them too. Linda Cardellini has a memorable cameo as an edgy painter. “She is not a normal person like you or me,” her character says to Stephanie, who is far from normal, which explains her perfection mommy drag. By the end, our mommies fully embrace their true selves and their truth. It becomes a bit of a revenge film with Stephanie defying expectations and showing that she can be superior too, not the butt of jokes. There is dark humor and nice little showcase moments for supporting characters such as Jean Smart and Bashir Salahuddin to break out and share the spotlight to amuse us. Fun fact: the money was predicted to run out in 2020, and it figures. Good job, perspicacious writers!
A Simple Favor is a delicious movie: a credible yet fantastic, creatively tight yet sprawling narrative, superb acting, gorgeous framing and composition, delectable production design, fabulous wardrobe, hot man Henry Golding, genre defying, character development, riveting relationship dynamics, great momentum, perfect soundtrack! Even the audio is amazing. Every time Lively picks up a knife, I could hear it. Details! I should have seen it in theaters. If I was not so busy, I would watch it repeatedly. I have already seen it twice. If Kendrick and Lively can rise to this level of perfection given the right vehicle, then they are not wrong, filmmakers are wrong.
Thank God for Paul Feig, who directed A Simple Favor. Note to self-always support Feig. If I had known that he was behind the scenes, I would have known this film was excellent. He is one of the creative minds behind Freaks and Geeks, Arrested Development and The Office. He also directed Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy and films of lesser quality but still quite solid in their own way, Ghostbusters and Last Christmas. He was also Lively’s style inspiration in the fashion choice of three-piece suits and canes.
How good is A Simple Favor? Even the children are excellent actors. Why are you still reading this review? Watch the movie already! There are sexual situations, creative cursing and a little violence. It is so good that I do not want to read the novel which it is based on. I just want to appreciate the movie on its own.