OCTOBER 4, 2018
You may not be familiar with the name Paul Feig, but you’ll know the titles of the movies that he has directed — “Bridesmaids,” “The Heat,” and “Spy” among them. Feig has the gift, one that is rare these days, of bringing out the most in comedic actresses (Melissa McCarthy, in particular).
Feig’s other gift, equally rare, is to add his distinguished comic touches to genre films in which he takes the story very seriously. He still gets his laughs from the pratfalls and smart jokes, but he respects the genres in which he is working and follows their rules to the letter. Yes, “The Heat” is a female buddy comedy, but is a smart police procedural, and “Spy” is a terrific espionage thriller.
So when I heard that Feig had cast Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, two actresses equally adept in comedy and drama, in his newest film, “A Simple Favor,” I was intrigued as to how he was going to lend his talents to this story. After all, cop movies and spy thrillers might lend themselves more easily to comedy than a film like “Gone Girl” or “The Girl on the Train,” a genre into which “A Basic Favor” neatly fits.
If you’ve ever been involved with local school activities, you know widow Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) or at least her type. She’s the mom who volunteers for every event and usually winds up running them. And she posts her regular video blog (vlog) with lots of tips for crafts. (Of course.) Stephanie’s son Miles attends the local elementary school where his best friend is a boy named Nicky.
Enter Nicky’s fashionista mom Emily (Lively) who often wears men’s clothing. Emily invites Stephanie to her house for an adult playdate — a 2pm martini. Or three. After several adult playdates, Stephanie tries to take a photograph of Emily, which she orders Stephanie to erase. Chagrined, Stephanie comments that she’s not the kind of person with whom Emily is friends, to which Emily responds, “Oh, you don’t want to be friends with me, trust me.”
Emily is not kidding. Trust me.
One day, Emily asks Stephanie to do her a simple favor. She’s tied up at work and asks Stephanie to pick up her son Nicky. No problem, as Stephanie brings the boys back for a playdate that turns into a play-night, because there’s no sign of Emily. Hours turn into days, and still no Emily. She enlists the help of Emily’s husband Sean (“Crazy Rich Asian’s” Henry Golding) who appears just in the dark as she is. So Stephanie decides to ditch the crafts advice and turn her vlog into a search for her friend.
Kendrick is a great choice for the role of Stephanie. In the past, she has shown that she is not afraid to let her characters be thought of as a bit ridiculous (as Stephanie’s vlog demonstrates). But there is a certain underdog quality that the actress possess that can’t help but make you root for her. And Golding, who is on his way to becoming a worldwide star, is fine here, although not quite as galvanizing as he was in “Crazy Rich Asians.”
Lively portrays her ice queen with just enough humanity to warm the heart of Stephanie (and, by extension, the audience), and her absence for much of the film deprives it of a much appreciated character. But take heart, the screenplay by Jessica Sharzer is filled with unexpected twists. That’s all I’m sayin’…
GRADE: B
