Review
JAMIE EAST AT THE MOVIES
A Simple Favour is a dud thriller – but holds its own as a great, sexy and crude comedy
Blake Lively shines as Emily alongside Anna Kendrick with her well-known razor sharp timing
PAUL Feig, left bruised by his experience with the Ghostbusters reboot, returns to his wit and eye for comic timing in this adaptation of the Darcy Bell book.
Whether you like this or not will largely depend on what you expect out of it.
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It’s marketing is certainly hoping you like Hitchcock style thrillers - and if that’s you I think you’ll be disappointed.
If, however, you go with Bridesmaids or even Spy in mind - you’ll be on far safer ground.
The comedy comes from the juxtaposition between it’s two main characters, Stephanie and Emily - Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively respectively.
Kendrick has long been known for her statue and razor-sharp comic timing, so I guess it’s no surprise to see her on blistering form here - but it’s Blake Lively, who’s take as a bolshy, beautiful clothes horse with a penchant for afternoon martinis and membership to the mile High Club that surprises.
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More than holding her own, she pretty much chews up and spits out everything in her wake.
But back to the film - Stephanie is an uptight, slightly bland mom-vlogger; aware of her own shortcomings and mourning the death of her husband and brother.
Along comes an unexpected friendship with Emily, the aforementioned whirlwind whop brushes off jealous looks from her fellow school moms, all hating her guts passionately (whilst secretly wishing they’d be noticed by her - which I’m sure never happens in real life ahem).
All seems fine and dandy, despite a vehement reluctance to being photographed - and the two share their most intimate secrets, usually while being three sheets to the wind.
But after a “simple favour’ is asked, Emily goes missing giving Stephanie an opportunity to play Sleuth and ‘help out at home’ whilst Emily’s husband seemingly flounders in her absence.
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most read in film
As the story develops it transpires Emily isn’t all she seemed and what started as a charitable act by a friend, swiftly becomes an investigation into a person a lot darker and twisted than ever imagined.
It does start falling apart at the seams when it remembers it’s supposed to be a thriller - the final 20 minutes is like an empty stomach that starts to digest itself - but I’m not sure that’s necessarily the filmmakers’ fault - it’s all there in the book and it’s a brave or powerful director that can just rewrite an entire ending.
As a thriller it’s a bit of a dud - but as a sexy, crude, swaggering comedy (much like the 4pm martini) it really hits the spot.
A Simple Favour, 117mins (15)
★★★★☆
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