“A Simple Favor,” could be referred to as a delicious cocktail, with a twist, of lemon. In this movie Anna Kendrick plays a widowed single mother, who is very involved in anything that has to do with her son and is a mommy blogger. Her “perfect suburban life” is soon uprooted by her best friend Emily, played by Blake Lively. 

In my opinion, the movie perfectly balances themes of tension and comedy, creating a near perfect thriller. The tension partly comes from both of the actors’ individual abilities, but believe it or not, most of it isn’t acting. Anna and Blake do not get along so well in real life, and they wouldn’t go to the premiere together for the second movie because of this tension. Although it’s unfortunate that the two actors don’t get along, the unresolved issues that are untalked about add more tension to the movie. 

Anna’s portrayal of Stephanie is endearing, funny, and slightly annoying. You watch her transform throughout the movie from a naive involved blogger mom, to a conniving sleuth. Blake, on the other hand, oozes with mystery and charisma from the start. This left me constantly questioning her motives, and whether or not she was actually a good person. Aside from their beef, their on screen chemistry is amazing. This makes their friendship all the more complicated and engaging. I never knew what was going to happen next.

The ending of “A Simple Favor,” is one to talk about. It is a tornado of betrayals, revelations, and completely unexpected twists. These twists end up tying together confusions throughout the movie. It is a theatrically over the top ending, which is uncommon for director Paul Feig, who is known for movies like “Bridesmaids.” Some people may argue that the ending of this movie is absurd, and unrealistic. However, it left me with a sense of completion. Every missing piece of the puzzle was found in the last 20 or so minutes of the movie, leaving you wondering and engaged the whole time. 

Overall, this movie was packed full of secrets, mysteries, and emotion. The tension and character development in this movie is great. My final rating is a 9 out of 10.