Slick, smart, snide and snarky, this noir mystery thriller about secrets is anything but simple. And it has more unexpected twists than an obstacle course. Prepare to keep guessing while being entertained. The film kicks off with a fun pop French song from the 60’s Director Paul Feig said he picked to set the tone that this is going to be fun! And it is! He uses French pop songs throughout as a juxtapostion to lighten the mood.
Feig (Ghostbusters, Heat) is the master of the female comedy and there’s plenty of that in here, too. He injects a lot of humor, but the jokes and light moments don’t take away from the dark side of the plot. Writer Jessica Scharzer (American Horror Story) wrote the adaptation from the novel by Darcey Bell and then worked with Feig on the script. Anna Kendrick as Stephanie and Blake Lively, in one of her best performances as Emily, liven up the script with their unlikely friendship.
Feig introduces Emily with a dramatic slo-mo sequence emerging from a car, sauntering slowly through the rain, dressed to the nines. What an entrance! It’s effective and silly at the same time. Blake Lively is a fashionista in real life, so it’s not unusual to see her in fabulous clothes. Wait till you see Emily’s well appointed closet later in the film. Emily consistently displays mega attitude as a woman too smart for her own good. There’s something seething under the surface. Her home is sleek and monochromatic, except for that red, provocative, nude portrait of her that hits you in the face as soon as you enter. Emily is also married to a handsome, burned out novel writer, played by Henry Golding, who just came off his first film, the big hit Crazy Rich Asians. He’s sexy here, too.
Stephanie is perky as the social media video blogger showing Moms at home how to make recipes for kids. Feig shows her doing her thing on camera on the internet in her primitive home set up with the video sometimes breaking up. No matter, she keeps going on and on with her plastered-on Pollyanna smile showing her character. Stephanie has her own style. Her cutesy clothes including a blouse with big kitties embroidered on the collar and a colorful, sweater with puffy polka dots on it are a riot, which Kendrick balked at wearing, but it’s perfect for her character. In the movie, Emily comments that her new buddy’s clothes are so colorful, they have more chemistry than a science Fair!
Emily and Stephanie bond revealing a lot about themselves over properly mixed martinis while their young sons play together. Stephanie does cookies. Emily is the expert on very strong booze. The women are polar opposites.
Their conversations include sharp, leading lines that raise a lot of questions. Emily says “A secret is like margarine. Easy to spread but hard on the heart.” And some funny ones, when she tells the bouncy, naive Stephanie, “You are so nice, I have no idea how you survived this long,” and admitting that she takes a “symphony of anti-depressants” Lively delivers them like punch lines and they work. Kendrick is no slouch either. Both slowly reveal little secrets like tossing out bread crumbs to keep you wondering what’s really going on.
“A simple favor” turns out to be not so simple when Emily asks Stephanie to pick up her son and keep him till she gets home. The two women were practically joined at the hip until Emily took off and has been missing for 5 days! That’s when Stephanie evolves from vapid suburban Super Mom into a dogged detective handing out flyers and more to find her new bestie.
Feig uses a group of other parents as a “Greek Chorus,” pointedly and hilariously criticizing both Stephanie and Emily and their unlikely friendship. Pay attention. Just as the chorus did in Classic Greek Theater, this chorus points out the truth. The funniest member is Darren, (Andrew Rannells – Sex and the City). He’s the Dad/Mom of the group. With just a few lines he manages to be a consistent scene stealer.
Feig has created colorful characters with revelation after revelation. There is smart writing, editing and enough humor in this slick production to keep you interested and off base. Would Hitchcock approve of this mystery? We do. So do yourself a favor. See this film.
Lionsgate 1 hour 57 minutes R
