A Simple Favor (2018)
- During the filming of A Simple Favor, Anna Kendrick improvised one of the most famous lines in the movie.
- Before Anna Kendrick was cast, several major A-list stars turned down the lead role because they felt the script was too risky.
- The original script for A Simple Favor was written over a decade before production finally began in 2018.
A Simple Favor is a 2018 American mystery thriller directed by Paul Feig, based on Darcey Bell's 2017 novel. Anna Kendrick stars as Stephanie Smothers, an excessively perky mommy vlogger who becomes best friends with Emily Nelson, played by Blake Lively, a sophisticated, hard-drinking, foul-mouthed fashion executive โ the absolute opposite of Stephanie in every way. When Emily asks for a "simple favor" โ picking up her son from school โ and then disappears without a trace, Stephanie's investigation reveals that Emily's identity, past, and motivations are far more complex and dangerous than anyone imagined.
Blake Lively's Emily was a magnetic screen presence โ stylish, sardonic, and genuinely threatening, delivering lines like profanity-laced fortune cookies while wearing impeccable designer outfits. Paul Feig, known for Bridesmaids and Spy, demonstrated unexpected range with a Hitchcockian thriller that maintained dark comedy undertones. A Simple Favor earned $97 million worldwide on a $20 million budget.
