A Simple Favor reviews: What are critics saying about Blake Lively thriller?

A Simple Favor is a psychological thriller laced in haute couture and sharp humour.

Express.co.uk review:

Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick are the undisputed stars of the film, with Henry Golding as the hapless romantic for good measure.

With the trio of actors playing effortlessly off one another, A Simple Favor moves easily through its rather long runtime.

Slow bits of exposition are buoyed by the interjections of Stephanie’s (played by Kendrick) particular humour – a sardonic take on the mom next door whose sharp wit is slowly unveiled as the movie ticks forward.

Lively shines as the enigmatic Emily, whose style is outmatched only by her laissez-faire approach to, well, everything.

Together the two are yin and yang – both victims of their own messy lives but also agents of change.

Henry Golding plays the husband – Sean, a failed writer and professor of English, whose literary spark was snuffed by his pursuit of Emily in a twist on traditional gender roles.

A Simple Favor winds itself through themes of sexuality and intimacy, truth and family, and what it means to be a woman – a mother – a daughter.

Where Kendrick’s flawless portrayal of supermom Stephanie works solo as well as paired with Lively, Lively’s haughtiness works best when it is juxtaposed by Kendrick.

The twists and turns are mostly unpredictable until the split second before they happen, though some are guessable as the women’s histories unravel.

Though Lively is set up as the glamorous, shining woman, Kendrick is the star of the movie – and of the story itself.

Despite the fun, the laugh out loud (literally) humour, when the credits roll it’s easy to forget the best parts of the movie – it’s denouement too well explained to leave any lingering suspicions.

Based on a novel of the same name, A Simple Favor is Gone Girl with a sense of humour, a self-aware irony, and a much more satisfying ending – if neatly tied bows are your thing.

Lackadaisical detective Bashir Salahuddin is a surprise gem of the movie, whose affable nature is a thick veil over his keen detective work.

But it is his charm, humour, and self-assuredness which make the small role impactful.

A Simple Favor reviews roundup:

As of writing, A Simple Favor holds 83 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes.

But with its UK release date happening now, the score is bound to fluctuate.

The movie dances between typically British and American styles of humour, making it appealing to audiences on both sides of the pond.

Hannah Woodhead of Little White Lies writes aptly: “Tonally mismatched – but Kendrick and Lively are just about compelling enough to pull it off.”

Indeed, the movie seems unsure whether it wants to be a comedy or thriller, a parody or a serious takedown.

Somehow, through the acting of Lively and Kendrick, it manages to do it all – almost wholly successfully.

A Simple Favor is out in UK cinemas today, September 20, 2018.