Drama/Thriller A Simple Favor (rated R) features Stephanie Ward (played by Anna Kendrick), who is a vlogger who realizes she doesn’t know her new best friend Emily (played by Blake Lively) as well as she thought.

Two moms, with opposite parenting styles, meet at their local elementary school when their kids become friends. The two boys insist on playing together, forcing the moms to socialize, too. Stephanie sees the high-profile life that her new friend Emily lives, as well as the well-rounded relationship between Emily and her husband. The two women begin to share their stories, including how Stephanie lost her husband and her half-brother in a car accident, and how her money is tight. The “play-dates” include a casual margarita and sharing secrets.

Emily then asks Stephanie for a simple favor: to pick up her son and take him back home because she is swamped at work and because her husband isn’t in the country.

The next day, Stephanie begins to get worried because Emily isn’t answering her phone. She then calls Emily’s husband to find more information about Emily’s disappearance. This leads to an abandoned car and a body in a lake.

This plot intensifies with a suspenseful life insurance policy and a little boy who says he talks to “Mommy.”

The movie is intriguing, especially with the inclusion of the “closet.” The plot kept turning in directions that we didn’t think were possible. The music, often dance scenes, added a sense of fun to the movie which makes the conflict underneath even more suspenseful.

The costumes tied into the roles that each of the moms played. Emily is the kind of person who always looks immensely professional. We see Stephanie vlogging from her kitchen in a relaxed skirt.

This movie is a lot like Gone Girl, because the women in both movies go missing, and everyone goes on a hunt to find out what really happened. Both of the movies also blame the disappearance on an innocent victim.

On IMDb, A Simple Favor is rated 7.4, and on Rotten Tomatoes, the average critic score is 83% and 85% for moviegoers. We both agree with these ratings.

Even though the plot seems “simple” here, we were guessing until the end. The movie A Simple Favor is a 9/10 in our opinion. The movie keeps you on edge, wondering what crazy thing will happen next.

We thought that the movie showed a familiar story but with an up-to-date angle. The actors portrayed their roles with passion, and we felt like it was “real” life. The movie is worth the theater ticket: don’t wait for the digital download.