Do Yourself 'A Simple Favor' and Go See Paul Feig's Scintillating Thriller!

It has been about a week since I saw Paul Feig’s thriller A Simple Favor, and it has also been about a week since I thought about anything else.

This movie is completely insane. In the best way. It is the ultimate guilty pleasure for anyone looking for some juicy drama, salacious humor, and ridiculously good-looking actors. Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick, both national treasures, play two very different moms whose sons go to the same school. Blake’s character, Emily, a mysterious working mother, is basically Serena Van der Woodsen if she had moved to a New York suburb and took a real shining to wearing glamorous men’s suits. Anna’s character, Stephanie, is the opposite kind of mom. She’s a small-town gal who loves her son and mommy vlogging. So yeah, basically Emily is all glamorous and fabulous and Stephanie’s a little pipsqueak and of course they are destined to become best friends.

On a playdate between their kids, Stephanie and Emily end up sharing stories over some strong martinis. After all, nothing bonds people better than booze and secrets, so the two hit it off immediately. A few weeks later, when Emily asks Stephanie for ~a simple favor~ to watch her kid for the night, Stephanie thinks nothing of it... until Emily vanishes completely. And then the drama begins.

As the mystery around Emily’s disappearance unravels, everyone’s a suspect, even Emily’s amazingly charming husband Sean -- tbh this was just a segue for me to talk about Henry Golding. If you don’t know Henry Golding yet, do not walk, run to the nearest theatre. This man is the stuff of dreams. He is somehow delightful even whilst being a murder suspect, but that is probably in large part due to his perfect British accent. Henry is having a real moment lately, as he’s also starring in Crazy Rich Asians so he’s a pretty big deal around town and was by far my favorite part of the whole movie (other than Blake Lively walking around with a cane that had a skull handle).

Anyways, back to the point. I can’t tell you much more for fear of giving anything away, and there is a lot to give away! I really had no clue what this movie was about when I went into it, and after only seeing it once, I still kind of don’t… It has a lot of twists and turns, people!!! What I can say is that it is a surprisingly perfect mix of thriller, comedy, and absolute confusion.

This movie had everyone on the edge of their seats; the twists were unbelievably unexpected, and my mind still has not fully recovered from what I witnessed. Paul Feig is a wizard. He created a completely new genre with A Simple Favor and reminded me that movies don’t all have to be taken so seriously. I can’t wait to watch it over and over again. It’s in theatres now – so go see it!!!

(Image via Lionsgate)

- Kyla Killackey, YH Contributing Writer