A Simple Favor
PC: Kayla Potts
Nicflix
Watching trailers, interviews and fan theories before going into a movie is pretty standard for me, so the fact that I felt absolutely lost on the plot of “A Simple Favor” after seeing the trailer for the first time — and THIRD — was a little perplexing.
I figured you, along with the rest of the human race, were left dazed and confused as well, contemplating whether or not you should even go to the movie. Just to clear things up I decided to watch it — for RESEARCH purposes. I was gonna be your inside guy, lookin’ out for you and making sure you knew what you were getting into.
Boy was I ambitious ...
Turns out, they couldn’t make a trailer with a clearer depiction of the plot because the movie itself was JUST as convoluted! But in a weirdly good way.
“A Simple Favor” is excellent in its execution, keeping you simultaneously captivated and confused. There were so many contradictions throughout the movie — the music, the characters, the goofy comedy blended with twisted suspense and the dark “Gone Girl-esque” plot placed into a completely innocent suburban setting — and yet it didn’t feel like you were being whiplashed between genres. The contrasts were its aesthetic — the mystery, its intrigue.
The plot was moved forward by having Anna Kendrick’s character updating her followers through her Mommy Vlog — which is hilariously nerdy and keeps us, the audience, informed and following the timeline without completely breaking the fourth wall.
Anna Kendrick’s awkward, seemingly naive character is contrasted with a cold, sarcastic and twisted Blake Lively — a new role for her but she still looks good doing it. SHOCKER, I know. Their interactions are extremely entertaining, but there are some dark twists for both characters that make you wonder if anyone is really sane at all.
Watching this movie was like riding a rollercoaster with your eyes closed — exciting and sickening at the same time. You never know what’s coming next or even understand what’s happening AS it’s happening, and there are so many plot twists and flips in the storyline that you’re completely disoriented, but at the end of it you always want to go again.
If you like to be kept on the edge of your seat, slightly lost until the last minute, and not knowing who to root for, you’ve got to see this. If your names are Wayne and Michelle Morrison, DO NOT watch this movie.
—Your Friendly Neighborhood Movie Guy
Nicholas Morrison is a senior studying graphic design.