A Simple Favor (2018) directed by Paul Feig

Paul Feig is a surprising director. I saw Bridesmaids and thought it was really good for a big budget raunchy comedy, not my favorite genre. Spy, though, was a revelation. I based on the promotional materials, I was certain I would hate it. But the word of mouth was good, so went one afternoon for a matinee and was, relative to my expectations, blown away. So funny. Feig knows how to use Melissa McCarthy and Jason Statham was just perfect. So it’s high praise when I say that A Simple Favor is the better film.

It wouldn’t be 100% accurate to call this a parody of Gone Girl style thrillers, but it isn’t quite inaccurate either. It is hilarious though. And an effective thriller. There may be one or two too many twists, but the movie had me grinning so hard that’s easy to forgive.

Anna Kendrick plays a tightly wound overachieving single mom who has a video blog dedicated to parenting tips. Blake Lively is a distant, inattentive parent who works as a PR person for a fashion company in nearby New York. Because their sons hit it off, they become extremely unlikely friends really quickly. Lively’s character disappears after asking Kendrick’s to pick up her child at school. Any more description of the plot would involve spoilers. Still, the plot of this is not the point. Kendrick and Lively’s performances are a joy to watch. This is an incredibly fun movie.

Highly Recommended