Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: A Simple Favor
December 10, 2018
A Simple Favor - Buy from Amazon: DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack
A Simple Favor hits Video on Demand this week and the screener arrived early, so I figured it was a perfect time to review this movie. (Also, I might have as many as five films to review next week. I kind of messed up requesting screeners, so getting this done now will save me the stress next week.) Is it worth checking out on VOD? Or should you wait for the Blu-ray Combo Pack?
We first meed Stephanie when she’s doing her mommy vlog. She’s emotional, because her best friend, Emily, is missing and she doesn’t know what to do. Since not everyone in her audience knows the full story, she decides to tell it and we flashback a few weeks.
Stephanie is a super mommy. She has a popular vlog, she volunteers for everything, she even has her own helium tank for balloons. What she doesn’t have is a lot of friends, because she intimidates / irritates the other parents. Her son, Miles, is friends with Nicky, Emily’s son. The pair of kids want a playdate. At first Emily has no interest it letting this happen, but she agrees, after inviting Stephanie to have drinks. It’s a bit awkward at first, but Stephanie does begin to open up and talks about being a widow and the car crash that killed her husband and brother. Emily talks about their financial situation. Her husband, Sean, is a writer, but hasn't written anything since his first novel. He is working as a professor, but that means they have to rely on her income, which is not enough, as they bought their house at the peak of the real estate bubble. She works in the city and the drive makes it hard to get her kid from school, so Stephanie offers to help out in that regard.
Emily takes up Stephanie on her offer right away, and the pair spend more time together and despite their obvious differences in personalities, they start to become friends. As they become friends, they talk and they learn about each other. Here’s the problem, what we learn is potential spoilers, so I can’t even hint at what they talk about.
The next day, Emily asks Stephanie to pick up Nicky again. This time it’s a little more serious, as it is not just a problem at work. Sean’s mother broke her hip, so he had to travel back home to London to be with her. This time, Emily doesn’t come to get her son after work. She doesn’t respond to texts or calls. Stephanie calls Emily's work and finds out she’s in Miami for a few days. She calls Sean and he’s not too surprised this happened and promises to pick up Nicky as soon as he gets back. He follows through with this promise, but there’s more bad news, as Emily’s work hasn’t been able to get in contact with her either. She’s been out of contact long enough that Stephanie and Sean decide to go to the police.
By the time the cops talk to them about Emily, it’s too late for Sean to call a cab, so Stephanie offers to let him stay the night, on her foldaway couch. By the time she wakes up the next morning, not only is Sean already awake, he’s made the kids what he calls a “Hangover Smoothy” that is not only really healthy, it tastes so good Stephanie steals it for her next mommy vlog. Since the cops are no help, Stephanie drives to the city to talk to Emily’s boss, Dennis Nylon, who didn’t even know she was in Miami, so she does what every best friend would do, she sneaks into Emily’s office and snoops around. She finds a picture of Emily with the phrase “Gotta have Faith” written on it.
As Stephanie and Sean continue the search for Emily, they begin to grow closer. This shouldn’t be a problem, except this is a thriller, so you know there’s a twist coming up. That twist is way too deep into spoiler territory.
Surprise twists in thrillers are like jump scares in horror movies. They are not inherently bad and if done well, they can be a serious asset. However, even when done well, they can be overused. Any more than two or three jump scares will hurt the film, as even if audiences get a fright from later jump scares, they will feel annoyed rather then engaged. Likewise, too many twists will hurt a film, because audiences won’t be engaged with the plot, because they know whatever they learn now can be entirely undone by the next twist. A Simple Favor comes dangerously close to this pitfall. In fact, that final twist gets a little silly, but by this point I was sold on the movie, so I’ll let it slide. I mention this first, because while it is an issue, it is the only real issue I had with the movie.
I’m a big fan of Paul Feig’s previous films, mostly, which have been comedies. I was not expecting him to being able to move into such a radically different genre with such ease. He did have a lot of help, especially from the two leads. Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are underrated actresses, but hopefully this film will show their range to more casting agents. Henry Golding has had a breakout year with this film and Crazy Rich Asians. Even the supporting cast is excellent. I especially liked Andrew Rannells, Kelly McCormack, and Aparna Nancheria, who play a sort of Greek Chorus commenting from the sidelines of the plot.
The style of the film is also a major drawing point. They call it Suburban Noir in the extras, as that’s a perfect phrase to use. This is not just in the fashion Emily wears, although that obviously helps. It’s the style that Paul Feig was able to infuse into the film that helped it stand above so many other similar films.
There are tons of extras on the Blu-ray, starting with an intro by the director, Paul Feig. The director also sits down for three audio commentary tracks, the first being a solo effort. He is joined by four of the cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Jean Smart, and Bashir Salahuddin. In the third audio commentary track, he is joined by the writer, Jessica Sharzer; one of the producers, Jessie Henderson; the cinematographer, John Schwartzman; and the costume designer Reneé Ehrlich Kalfus.
Up next is a featurette called Gravestone Martinis, which is a 20-minute look at the two main characters. Suburban Noir is a 12-minute featurette that focuses on the style of the film. Dapper Director is an 11-minute featurette on Paul Feig. Love Triangle is a six-minute look at the final confrontation. Style by Paul is a five-minute featurette on the way Paul Feig dresses on set and how that inspired how Emily dresses in the movie. There is a five-minute behind-the-scenes look at a scene that was cut. Dennis Nylon is a five-minute look at the set for the fashion house Emily worked for. A Simple Playdate is a five-minute featurette about the two child actors who played Miles and Nicky.
Finally, there is the alternate ending, outtakes, and 12 minutes of deleted scenes.
That’s way more extras than I was expecting.
A Simple Favor doesn’t come out on DVD / Blu-ray / 4K Ultra HD until next week, but it is a clear Pick of the Week contender. It is an absolute must have. It is coming out on Video on Demand this week, but there are so many extras that it is worth the wait.
Video on Demand
The Movie
The Extras
The Verdict
Filed under: Video Review, Rupert Friend, Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Jean Smart, John Schwartzman, Paul Feig, Renee Ehrlich Kalfus, Jessie Henderson, Andrew Rannells, Jessica Sharzer, Bashir Salahuddin, Henry Golding, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho, Kelly McCormack, Aparna Nancheria