A Simple Favor (2018)

A Simple Favor is a delicious confection. Sassy and just a hint naughty, the film slaps a dirty little smile on your face. But half way through the film's thinness starts to become apparent. It is brought down from being evil genius by remaining far too safe. The way it revels in cliches isn't quite enough to overcome those cliches. But the performances of Kendrick and Lively are damn fine and still make it enjoyable even if you know what you're enjoying is nothing but sugar.

A Simple Favor starts well, setting us up for a sly mystery which has a cool balance of camp, raunch, and glamour. Lively's Emily is a delightful mess, the kind that everyone falls for. Kendrick's everywoman (a role she is destined to play forever) takes full advantage of her comedy chops and the two deliver.

But as I said, half way through the film's twists and turns stop feeling like marvelous send ups of melodrama, and start feeling just a little too convenient. It involves all the soapy twists one would expect (*spoiler* which I tell you you'll see a mile away, there is incest and an evil twin!! seriously). And while all that could be cool as it revels in its campy stereotypes, the film needed a bit more weight to its mayhem, otherwise it skids into spoof territory. While it doesn't quite land there, it doesn't quite rise to being brilliant satire either and settles somewhere in the middle.

The film is filled with old school queer sensibilities (I have no idea about director Feig's actual preferences but regardless he channels 80s aging gay man tropes perfectly, from the French pop music, the fetishization of men's bodies and women's shoes, to the catty banter) which add a great deal of amusement to the experience and fits the not quite too irreverent tone. There is style here, not a lot of substance, but tonnes of style.

It's fun. The film flirts with being devious but never quite sinks low enough. But it remains fun. The title is rather revelatory as the film is somewhat simple. But in the end it's not bad. It remains enjoyable. Like a light dessert which is tasty enough, not very filling, but sometimes make you wish you had indulged in the devil's food which you know you would have enjoyed even more.

A Simple Favor
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Rupert Friends, Linda Cardellini, Jane Smart
Director: Paul Feig
Writer: Jessica Sharzer