What makes you want to watch a movie more than once?

Is it the story, the actors, the comedy…? What is it?

I don’t know why I got a sudden desire to rewatch A Simple Favor. Maybe it’s because I wanted my husband to see it. Maybe it’s because it’s on Prime. Or maybe I’m just needing a fix of my girl crush - Blake Lively. Whatever the reason, I now have another movie review for all of you. Now let’s see how much my thoughts have changed between the two viewings. 

Let’s talk about the first time. The memory that you’ll never forget… just kidding. Joking aside, I found A Simple Favor to be hilarious. I wasn’t sure when I should be taking the movie seriously, if there is even a shred of seriousness in the thing. It’s really an over the top thriller with a nice little twist in the end. There’s not much to give the twist away. Actually, the twist goes against the character’s original personality, but mirrors perfectly with the character’s growth. My point is… I didn’t see it coming the first time. High five to the writers. 

Now that second time through, knowing everything, I was left disappointed. Was my good rating based solely on the ending…? Maybe… 

Remove the glitz and glamor, my heart eyes for Blake Lively, and you could almost see the budget on the screen. I don’t mean that in a bad way, but it was obvious that the $20 million budget was blown on the talent and the Louboutin shoes. The CGI was a little wonkers in a day and age when you shouldn’t be able to see the strings. There were just too many glitches. And this is all outside of the fact that they shot half the movie in the same house. That saves a ton of money. 

The comedy is great but not enough to hold up the whole movie. What if no one else finds the same strange comedy funny? If the viewer can’t laugh at the over the top antics of the two characters then there’s nothing for them. The movie will be seen as the flop that it really is. Luckily, my husband had me to cue him into what was so funny. 

All this isn’t saying that the girls didn’t kill it. Oh did they kill every single moment. Their chemistry alone was off the charts. 

A Simple Favor really was set to be the perfect package. It had everything going for it except for the most important thing - the plot. There were just too many far fetched things for the viewer to believe. We have Emily, which we all know has issues from the trailer alone. She’s the very reason for the movie. Add in the moments with Stepahnie and her new love interest, and it’s just a jumble of the too much gene. Shock should not be the only thing you’re using to grab your audience with. You need to follow through after you shock them. 

Overall, I still like the movie. It’s entertaining. I don’t mind the characters, or should I say who is playing them. But I wouldn’t say this is the movie that can be watched over and over again. Once the initial shock wears off, it’s just lacking some back bone. So while it’s free on the Amazon Prime, I say give it a try if you’re looking for something on a purely entertainment level. Which is what we’re all searching for right now… right? 

Happy Watching

Love Kait