A Simple Favor

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2:16

A Simple Favor

R

Released Sep 14, 2018

1h 57m

Mystery & Thriller

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

84%

Tomatometer

258 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Stephanie is a widowed, single mother who works as a vlogger in Connecticut. Her best friend, Emily, seems to have it all -- a successful career, a loving family and a glamorous lifestyle. When Emily mysteriously disappears one day, Stephanie launches her own investigation by digging into her friend's past -- and finding a few surprises along the way.

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Critics Consensus

Twisty, twisted, and above all simply fun, A Simple Favor casts a stylish mommy noir spell strengthened by potent performances from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively.

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Ben Sachs

Chicago Reader

Imagine an ABC sitcom based on David Fincher's Gone Girl, and you'll get an idea of what this lightweight comic mystery is like.

Mar 4, 2020

Full Review

Matthew Norman

London Evening Standard

It seeks only to entertain, and in its haphazard way it does.

Rated: 3/5

Sep 25, 2018

Full Review

Jo Livingstone

The New Republic

A deeply confused movie that feels like a mash-up of Mean Girls and an episode of Law and Order.

Sep 24, 2018

Full Review

Brittany Patrice Witherspoon

Pop Culture Reviews

A Simple Favor is a fun and fashionable thriller accompanied by killer performances from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively.

Rated: 3.5/5

Jul 11, 2024

Full Review

Noah Berlatsky

Everything is Horrible (Substack)

Feig and his creative team weren’t willing to follow their leads to a weirder, more disturbing, and more satisfying film.

Jun 29, 2024

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

A devilishly fun time from Paul Feig, thanks in large part to Blake Lively's sinister performance.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 18, 2023

Full Review

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Lynn Y

Really good fun Friday night movie with lots if twists and turns and great performances.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/11/25

Full Review

Ben N

Good fun, but didn't hold up as well to a second viewing.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/03/25

Full Review

Agne K

Terrible movie terrible writing lazy and annoying

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

04/02/25

Full Review

Leizel M

I love it. The performances in this movie are top-notch. Blake Lively is utterly captivating as Emily, portraying the character’s sharp wit and layers of complexity with ease. Anna Kendrick provides a perfect balance as the sweet, quirky Stephanie, whose naivety contrasts well with the darker elements of the plot. Their on-screen chemistry is electric, making their dynamic both amusing and suspenseful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

Full Review

Birithivy Y

A Simple Favor - 8/10. I always glanced over watching this over the years, but finally, got time to watch it. And with all the news surrounding the sequel, and the supposed feud between the stars, it made me want to watch this more ironically. Think of this as a messier version of Gone Girl, but with some cheesy noir flavour. This happened to be Paul Feig’s first deviation from straight forward comedy, and he does a good job here. You can tell he had fun making this movie. And as for the stars, with the context that I have now, watching this I can tell where exactly they probably started hating each other. This surprisingly is probably Lively’s best role she’s done, and she’s kinda a shadow of a character here (she’s not in it as much as I thought). Anna Kendrick is great as ever, and though this might be bias of me to say as a fan of hers: she’s the heart of this movie in my opinion. What works for this movie is that it just seems to playfully work with the material it has at hand. Its not trying to be a serious and straightforward twisted look at its respective story, but rather, has a darkishly light touch through its twists. Though I feel it does falter when Blake’s character’s reveal is that she’s a twin, its still a fun watch and one that will burn through time with ease. Good movie and a fun one at that!

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/16/25

Full Review

Karina S

Blake doesn’t know how to act but Anna did well. Movie still was awful though, skip it, not worth the time.

Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars

03/23/25

Full Review

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Paul Feig

Director

Anna Kendrick

Stephanie Smothers

Blake Lively

Emily Nelson

Henry Golding

Sean Townsend

Ian Ho

Nicky Nelson

Joshua Satine

Miles Smothers

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - Violent Confessions

2:31

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - Emily Is Dead

1:44

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - Murder and Manipulation

1:42

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - Drinks and Death

2:26

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - Seducing a Widower

2:04

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - It's All Good, Baby

2:34

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - Mile High Club

1:44

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - Sleeping With My Brother

2:55

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - I Shot My Ex-Husband

3:00

A Simple Favor: Official Clip - Skinny Dipping Slaughter

1:47

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A Simple Favor: Trailer 1

2:16

A Simple Favor: Teaser Trailer - Tell Me Your Secret

1:44

A Simple Favor: Teaser Trailer 1

1:18

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Synopsis

Stephanie is a widowed, single mother who works as a vlogger in Connecticut. Her best friend, Emily, seems to have it all -- a successful career, a loving family and a glamorous lifestyle. When Emily mysteriously disappears one day, Stephanie launches her own investigation by digging into her friend's past -- and finding a few surprises along the way.

Director: Paul Feig
Producer: Paul Feig, Jessie Henderson
Screenwriter: Jessica Sharzer
Distributor: Lionsgate Films
Production Co: Lionsgate, Feigco Entertainment
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Drug Use|Sexual Content|Some Graphic Nude Images|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 14, 2018, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 11, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $53.5M
Runtime: 1h 57m

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