A Simple Favor

A non-alcoholic version of Gone Girl for a less demanding or, if you want, weekend audience. The lightness and briskness is taken care of by the geeky Anna Kendrick and the sexy Blake Lively. Both are excellent, it's just the script and the plot that are questionable. That said, as a light crime-comedy it’s still bearable. (04/02/2019)

Blake Lively is always nice to look at, so I wasn't worried about the aesthetic aspect of the film. It soon became clear that the script wouldn't be a disappointment either. Anna Kendrick played another one of those goofy characters that suit her so well. Even though I didn't exactly roll on the floor laughing, I had a very good time. When it comes to thrillers, I’m used to the fact that there is a twist at the end. Here, there was more than just one and they all worked out really well. (05/05/2019)

An inoffensive female thriller from the hard-working Paul Feig, but unfortunately for me a rip-off of the much better Gone Girl. Anna Kendrick is such a cute dork in almost every movie and I don’t mind, opposite her is Blake Lively playing a cynical bitch here and again she is insanely hot. The film is well paced, offers the occasional humorous interlude and is suspenseful in places. It also offers a few twists, but they won't surprise those who have seen Gone Girl. Too bad it was too predictable for me and it didn't offer anything violent or subversive, but I suspect it is aimed primarily at a female audience, so that's fine. As a light thriller one-shot it works. 65% (26/12/2018)

I consider movies with Blake Lively my private guilty pleasures. I'll check out Darcey Bell's book, but I definitely wouldn't be interested in a thriller like this without the movie. However, as a spectacle based on the contrasting talents of Blake and Anna Kendrick, it was a treat. A treat for the eyes. (03/07/2022)

A gripping variation on a clever female thriller, which is not lacking in a nice pile of surprises. Behind almost every completed subchapter there is a hidden hook that pulls the viewer further in, towards another fitting twist or genre change. This is mostly thanks to Anna Kendrick, who after years finally shines to the fullest in a role written for her in almost every one of those genres, even though the detective story one, which it switches into completely at the start of the third act, is definitely the weakest. As a satire, a thriller, a tale of hinted shadows from the past, and last but not least, in terms of sexiness, Kindness surpasses the highly acclaimed Gone Girl. Unlike that film, it is not afraid to be surprising and visually alive. (21/05/2019)