On Wednesday night, I went to the AMC Theatre in Dorchester, MA to see “A Simple Favor” starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. I hadn’t seen a preview for it, only read the description, and I figured I would give it a try since these actresses are known for how well they do their job. I was not disappointed in taking a leap of faith on this movie.
Seeing that the movie was deemed a thriller was what first caught my eye. I had never seen Blake Lively in this light before, and all I could picture her as was a rich teen in “Gossip Girl” or the soccer player in “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.” Regardless, I figured why not?
The opening scene of the movie is Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) as a vlogger on YouTube. She posts for fellow moms, sort of a Pinterest-style of cooking, friendship bracelets, etc., of which she had a pretty good number of viewers. It then cut to a scene of a kindergarten classroom, where Stephanie is helping out alongside her son and his peers. Off the bat, you can tell she’s a great mother who is extremely involved in her child’s life. We then are introduced to Emily (Blake Lively), an “irresponsible wild-child of a mother.” Their sons share the same class, which is what brought the two women together.
The women took their sons back to Emily’s house, where they indulged in frozen martinis and began getting to know each other. Emily is quick-witted and Stephanie would nervously laugh along, attempting to adjust accordingly, almost like a small dog pretending it’s okay playing with a big German Shepherd … It just doesn’t work. This, however, is what gives them such a charming contrast and great chemistry to begin a great friendship; they are complete opposites. From here on, the women establish a bond, and once the audience begins enjoying this duo, the movie takes a sudden turn. Emily went missing. She called Stephanie, asking her to pick up her son from school, and for days, weeks, she was gone. Stephanie took it upon herself to find her best friend and was left with more questions than she began with.
This movie is full of twists and turns. I was expecting a sort of horror film-style take, but instead I was just constantly gasping at the incredibly dramatic plot twists that happened, what felt like, every other scene. It was very playful and funny, but also very complicated—somehow all at the same time. It almost over-did the amount of drama honestly, but it did a great job at getting inside your head and making you question everything twice-over, so I let it slide. I went with a friend of mine who compared it to “Gone Girl” consistently, so I guess I will have to watch and decide for myself. Overall, I enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to a friend. The weather is so up in the air right now, that you might as well take one of these rainy days and chill out at the movies … those chairs are ridiculously comfortable.