Why Is a Simple Favor Review Rated R
"A Simple Favor" is a pretty delicate balancing act. It's a thriller told with a broad sense of humor (even slapstick at times). One false motility could accept been mortiferous, resulting in a film self-serious, or straining to be "relevant," or—worse—only plain old deadening. But "A Unproblematic Favor," directed by Paul Feig, has its cake and eats it too. It's suspenseful, only also hilarious. It's insightful most the head games women can play with each other, merely it doesn't burden itself with trying to be "meaningful." It's non trying to "say something" near "how we live now" or anything like that. What a relief to watch a motion-picture show unafraid of letting its pilus down.
The funky stylized credits sequence (designed by David Clayton) clues u.s. in immediately that this isn't going to be a gloomy by-the-book thriller. A throwback to 1960s comedies or spy capers, the credits involve single-color images of stilettos and purses moving around in angular cut-out shapes, a collage of conspicuous consumption, with ane of the many classic French pop songs blaring behind it. The soundtrack is filled with Serge Gainsbourg songs, including "Bonnie & Clyde," his duet with Brigitte Bardot, plus "Une Histoire de Plage," "Laisse Tomber les Filles," and Jean Paul Keller's "Ca C'est Arrange." Mood-setting is one of the most important aspects of film-making, and so many films neglect to found the proper mood from the jump. "A Simple Favor," written by Jessica Sharzer, an adaptation of Darcey Bell'southward novel, knows exactly what it needs to do to establish the mood for all that will follow.
Anna Kendrick plays Stephanie Smothers, a unmarried mom who runs a pop "vlog," where she shares recipes, parenting tips, and DIY how-tos. She's a type-A personality all the manner, over-volunteering at her son'south school, making other parents feel like slackers. In a couple of swift scenes it's established that Stephanie is nearly friendless ... until Emily Nelson (Blake Lively)—whose son goes to school with Stephanie'south son—strolls into her life. Emily has a loftier-powered job "in the city" (New York), and ropes Stephanie in to drinking martinis later picking upwardly the boys from school. The two sit down in her deluxe glass-walled home, and get drunk. Stephanie is dazzled. It'due south not hard to see why. Emily is casually gorgeous, wearing high heels and pinstriped suits complete with gold watch chains. (Renee Ehrlich Kalfus deserves a lot of credit for her costume design.) Emily swears like a sailor (even in front of the kids), and has a direct way of speaking: she looks right at Stephanie, intimate, encouraging. Stephanie tin't believe she has been "chosen" to be this fabulous fauna's friend.
At that place are some red flags in Emily'due south beliefs, which Stephanie ignores. Stephanie takes Emily'due south picture once, without Emily's consent, and Emily, in a tone that could cut glass, tells her to delete the photograph. Emily'south beauty is a smokescreen for an intimidating and mercurial personality, warm and encouraging one moment, slightly scary the next. Stephanie constantly apologizes for things, and Emily tells her to terminate: "It'south a fucked-up female person addiction." She's correct. But Emily always keeps Stephanie just slightly off-rest. Both actresses are in high gear here. Kendrick is so awkward you yearn for Stephanie to just relax, but her awkwardness is why the performance is so funny. And Blake Lively is the reincarnation of Julie Christie in her best work in the 1960s and '70s: ruthless and charming, sexy and detached, a completely destabilizing presence to men and women akin. This is a great role for Lively.
And and then, Emily goes missing. The police force are called, and Stephanie finds herself the heart of attention as Emily'south "best friend." She helps Emily's husband Sean (Henry Golding) out with the kids, supports him in his grief and anxiety, and gives updates on her "vlog" (her follower count goes through the roof). Simply slowly, Stephanie starts to wonder if at that place might exist more going on than meets the middle. What does Stephanie really know about Emily? Who is Emily? Fifty-fifty Nicky refers to his wife equally a "beautiful ghost." Stephanie, underestimated and mocked, intimidated by Emily's cool gaze, finds a strength she didn't know she had, and "A Uncomplicated Favor" shifts, fluidly, into Stephanie: Girl Detective. She tries to piece together Emily'southward past, looking for clues. The whole situation is so gratifying because Stephanie is the same mousy overachiever, dressed in cute little combos from The Gap, only now she's sneaking through apartments and offices, breaking into filing cabinets, doing things she never thought she would—or could—practice.
One of Paul Feig's gifts as a managing director is working with stiff charismatic women, giving them infinite to whoop it upward, work off 1 another, exist co-creators. There's infinite in his approach, space left for behavior, sense of humour, spontaneity. (Think of Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock in "The Heat." That pairing could easily have become a franchise, should have become a franchise.) "A Simple Favor" has an intricate plot, with many surprise reveals also as some truly chilling sequences, but information technology doesn't feel over-planned. Stephanie, at one bespeak, goes into a panic, and shouts at Nicky, "Are yous trying to 'Diabolique' me? Oh my God, you're trying to 'Diabolique' me!" Information technology's a funny line, requiring you to know "Diabolique"— a remake of 1955's "Les Diaboliques," directed by Henri-Georges Clouzot—virtually a wife and mistress conspiring to kill the human they share in common. Those French pop songs don't dominate "A Elementary Favor"'s soundtrack for null. The plot shares some similarities with "Gone Girl," simply that's where the comparison should stop. "Gone Girl" took itself very seriously. "A Unproblematic Favor" doesn't have itself seriously at all. And that'south a good affair.
Sheila O'Malley
Sheila O'Malley received a BFA in Theatre from the University of Rhode Island and a Primary'due south in Acting from the Actors Studio MFA Program. Read her answers to our Picture Love Questionnaire here.
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Film Credits
A Elementary Favor (2018)
119 minutes
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