A Simple Favor review by Ali Plumb – Radio 1's Screen Time

Synopsis:

Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively in A Simple Favor. Photo: Peter Iovino

Directed by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, Spy, Ghostbusters), this darkly comic thriller centres around Stephanie (Anna Kendrick – Pitch Perfect, Twilight, Up In The Air), a mommy vlogger searching for the truth behind her new best friend Emily's (Blake Lively – Gossip Girl, The Town, The Shallows) sudden disappearance from their small town. Expect swearing, violence, “jokes” and plenty of twists and turns.

Pros:

• Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are both appallingly charming. They’ve been great in their own individual films and TV shows, but together their friendship and chemistry between them is magnetic. Funny, sharp and able to deliver some properly twisted plot turns with élan, they’re both properly, undeniably great. So, to be clear: Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are good in this movie. There, I’ve said it.

• There’s an oddly dry, off-kilter, cocked-eyebrow tone to this movie that is a refreshing delight – at least, it was for me. Styled up to nines, complete with cheeky French pop music, this pleasingly trashy tale is part Gone Girl, part Gossip Girl, part Girl On The Train. It’s Gone Gossip Girl On The Train, if you will. It’s a bit clever-clever, sure, but not so much so that you won’t enjoy it. There’s just something pleasingly tongue-in-cheek and throwaway about A Simple Favour, so even if you don’t take to its janky, winky tone, it’s only trying to entertain and you don’t much mind.

• It’s fun! It’s dark at times, sure – particularly towards the end – but it’s fun, and witty, and a laugh. And sometimes that’s enough.

Cons:

• There are moments where you can sense director Paul Feig is having “the best time” with his stars, with his script, with the whole film, and while this can translate into some of the best scenes in the film, it can also give you a few lines where you’re left scratching your head and thinking, “Does that really fit? Shouldn’t that have been cut out of the film?” It’s hard to explain without revealing the moments themselves, but trust me, the indulgent incidents are there.

• Again, without giving too much away, the ending really does go off the rails. You have to give into the journey you’ve enjoyed so far and just accept the seemingly sudden “Huh?” moments, but hey, did I mention how enjoyable Anna and Blake are? Because they really are.

• If you’re looking for something with any real depth, look away now. This is a film that introduces some really messed-up backstories and then does nothing with them, so even when there are flashes of real, contemporary relevance, it swiftly either ignores them or chucks them out of the window. It’s a polished, glitzy, twisted popcorn movie, and if that ticks your boxes – or you’re just a fan of its stars, or Gossip Girl, or twisty thrillers – then fill your boots.

Three word review: Twisted, twisty fun