A Simple Favor.

Review #1134: A Simple Favor.

Cast: 
Anna Kendrick (Stephanie Smothers), Blake Lively (Emily Nelson), Henry Golding (Sean Townsend-Nelson), Andrew Rannells (Darren), Ian Ho (Nicky Townsend-Nelson), Joshua Satine (Miles Smothers), Linda Cardellini (Diana Hyland), Rupert Friend (Dennis Nylon), and Jean Smart (Margaret McLanden) Directed by Paul Feig.

Review: 
What makes for a good mystery thriller film? Is it a commendable cast? The fun in where it can go with its story threads? Or competent craftsmanship? Perhaps it is a combination of these categories that apply to making a mystery thriller worth watching, and this is apparent with this film as well. Based on the novel of the same name by Darcey Bell, A Simple Favor aspires to throw in as many thrills and twists wrapped with bits of humor that makes this a satisfying piece of entertainment. It certainly comes off a surprise, since I hadn't heard about this movie until roughly a week ago, but the real surprise is how weird the film gets itself with the cliches of a thriller that manage to come off positively, where it never devolves into trying to get cheap laughs or not lose charm by twisting itself too thin. At the heart of the film's success is its cast of characters and its main duo of Kendrick and Lively. Kendrick is fun to watch, having an energetic and capable nature to her, having a spunky charm while also being interesting to follow in her pursuits throughout the film, inspiring attention and occasional laughs. Lively does well at playing a character best described as an enigma in a suit, having a biting wit that certainly fits with what the film wants to be, wrapped in mystery and bonkers nature that goes just fine with a film like this. Kendrick and Lively have a fun charm together in their scenes together, whether while drinking or dealing with the twists that go on. Golding does pretty well in his time on screen, having a fair charm to him that goes along with the main duo at times. The rest of the cast don't have too much time on screen, but they do fine with keeping the flow of the film going at a fair pace, with Cardellini standing out with a rough amusing charm for her one scene on screen. At 117 minutes, I didn't mind its length too much, particularly since the film takes a bit of a turn half-way through, throwing a few twists that makes this come off as a bit campy, but I enjoyed where it wanted to go, even if it may (amusingly) remind me of a Lifetime movie - for better or worse. The screenplay from Jessica Sharzer (writer for a few episodes of American Horror Story and Nerve from 2016) is executed well by Feig to make a film that doesn't relent on its mystery and thrills while not devolving too much into farce or being too complex. It's a weird and wild mystery thriller that will surely prove itself well for its audience looking for a fun time.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.