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Friendship is not so simple in 'A Simple Favor'
Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively make A Simple Favor enjoyable.
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Stephanie (Anna Kendrick, left) gives a handmade bracelet to Emily (Blake Lively, right), who she sees as her best friend, in a still from 'A Simple Favor'. (twitter.com/ASimpleFavor/File)
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here is nothing simple in Paul Feig’s latest thriller-comedy, A Simple Favor. Adapted from a novel of the same name by Darcey Bell, the film offers layered twists and turns with characters played by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively.
Perhaps single mother Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) could be a model parent for raising her only son Miles (Joshua Satine) while still having the energy to participate in his school’s activities and run her mostly vlog filled with how-tos and recipes.
In a play-date between Miles and classmate Nicky (Ian Ho), Stephanie meets Nicky’s mother Emily Nelson (Blake Lively), who is her complete opposite. Often seen in a sharp suit or tuxedo with high heels, Emily does not hesitate to yell at her son, curse or let out her dark humor. She lives with Nicky and her husband Sean Townsend (Henry Golding) in a house where a nude photo of her hangs in the living room.
Stephanie thinks of Emily as her best friend after several occasions spent sharing each other’s “secrets”. However, Emily suddenly goes missing one day after asking Stephanie to pick up Nicky from school. Despite the police’s efforts, Stephanie heads out to investigate her friend’s disappearance and posts her latest updates on her vlog. She delves into Emily’s past and discovers a dark secret that may change their friendship forever.
Read also: Crazy Rich Asian's Henry Golding to star in upcoming thriller
Kendrick and Lively steal the limelight in A Simple Favor. Kendrick shows Stephanie’s awkwardness whenever Emily is around, but also displays her boldness without leaving her quirkiness behind. Meanwhile, Emily’s aggressiveness can make her difficult to love, but Lively is able to make her look fierce and sexy at the same time. Her wardrobe in A Simple Favor is hard to miss and Ryan Reynolds' real-life wife was seen donning tailored suits on several occasions prior to the film’s premiere.
British-Malaysian actor Golding makes his second appearance on the big screen following his role as Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians. As Sean Townsend, a famous writer with a big case of writer's block, it is clear that Golding is trying to break free from the lovable and humble Nick Young.
But when it comes to the story, despite the book’s poor to mediocre review on goodreads.com, the film adaptation may require viewers to pay much closer attention, because the hints and plot twists are everywhere. Even so, one of the major twists might be rather predictable for some. (kes)
