A Simple Favor

Stephanie, a dedicated mother and popular vlogger, befriends Emily, a mysterious upper-class woman whose son Nicky attends the same school as Miles, Stephanie's son. When Emily asks her to pick Nicky up from school and then disappears, Stephanie undertakes an investigation that will dive deep into Emily's cloudy past.

Paul Feig's mommy noir works best as a breezy, stylish genre mash-up carried by the chemistry between Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, though the gap between its enthusiastic critical reception and more tempered audience response suggests the film's campy, self-aware tone won't land for everyone. Critics largely found the tonal juggling act — comedy, thriller, melodrama — entertaining rather than entirely convincing.