"A Simple Favor" Deliciously Funny & Wicked Thriller Stars Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, Henry Golding

"A Simple Favor" has all the ingredients to make for a wickedly beguiling dish.  The comedy crime mystery begins benignly with the effervescent & overly helpful classroom mom, Stephanie (Anna Kendrick).  Stephanie has a cooking/craft making video blog disarming her irrepressible charm & resourcefulness.  Stephanie's blog has few followers & few fans from the parents in her son's class.  Her son has befriended another boy in his class whose working mom Emily (Blake Lively) hasn't cared to ingratiate herself with the other parents.  Emily shows up to retrieve her son from school and his tantrum for a playdate leads to an off-hand invite for Stephanie & her son to follow them home so Emily can be quicker to get some liquor.  The mommies get off to a cool start appearing as polar opposites.  Sophisticated Emily & socially inept Emily manage a cordial conversation aided by martinis.  Emily's handsome husband, Sean (Henry Golding "Crazy Rich Asians") comes home to the ladies imbibing in the afternoon.  Sean & Emily are hot for each other but not everything is as it seems.  A few mommy/son playdates in with mandatory martinis brings down their guard & they swap dark secrets.  Stephanie says, "Everyone has a dark side."  Stephanie manages to shock Emily with her shameful past which leads to a fast friendship between the two.  Stephanie is flattered by Emily's attention & happily agrees to the simple favor of bringing Emily's son home from school.  The pickup timeline wasn't clarified and it turns into several days without word from Emily.  Stephanie contacts Sean in the UK whose there caring for his mother.  He flies home to collect his son & contact the police along with Stephanie.  Stephanie shows her cunning side by checking in at Emily's workplace where she encounters the boss (a marvelous Rupert Friend) and proves she's no easy mark.  Stephanie uses her blog to talk about her missing best friend and asks for help from her viewers.  Viewership grows as does Stephanie's savvy at detective work.  The plot is fiendishly delicious and seductive.  Whose playing who takes you on a joyride of intrigue and suspense.  The sensational cast, including all the supporting roles are pitch perfect adding to this titillating crime thriller.  Everyone has their secrets and I wouldn't want to spoil the fun.  The clever plot does not favor a simple explanation.  Director Paul Feig ("Bridesmaids" and "Spy") has the right blend of high jinx and suspense to make a potent concoction that goes down smoothly with a twist.