A Simple Favor – Review

Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) has had a rough go of it lately. Despite some success on her awesome and happy mommy-themed Vlog, Stephanie is feeling down. She worked hard to turn her attitude and life around for herself and her son after her husband suddenly passed away, however her new and interesting friend Emily Nelson (Lively) has herself abruptly gone missing.

This new stress puts Stephanie’s life back in a downward spiral, as she worries about her missing friend, and the child Emily had left in her care. As Stephanie starts poking around into Emily’s life, she realizes how little she really knows about her new friend, having met through their children’s school.

The clues start piling up; however, many are at odds with each other. Stephanie wants to help her friend, but easily could stumble into danger. Where is Emily? What does Emily’s rich and successful author husband Sean (Golding) know about the situation? Should Stephanie worry about an investigative cop (Salahuddin)?

Despite many comedic elements, this story truly is an adult mystery dealing with some very mature themes at the core. The actors remain dedicated to their characters, giving the humor time to shine, however balancing it with realistic and nuanced behaviors and interactions.

Director Paul Feig often deals with comedy in his movies, so that element was well pronounced in A Simple Favor as well, despite some darker script turns. There is a lot of fun to be had in this adult mystery, though don’t expect to feel warm and fuzzy about every plot point. It remains a quality presentation and should be seen by those that like comedic mysteries.