A Simple Favor (2018)

Directed by Paul Feig 

Screenplay written by Jessica Sharzer

Based upon the novel by Darcy Bell

Starring Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively and Henry Golding 

A sheltered mommy-blogger who is formerly a widower and spends all of her time devoted to being a mother, befriends a mysteriously beautiful business women who drinks martini's for breakfast. The trailer for this movie gives you no other information other that that, and if you haven't read Darcy Bell's novel, then this film's plot is an utter mystery thriller to you. Add that Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are in the starring roles, and I'm buying my ticket. 

As I mentioned prior; Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) is a single mother with a parenting vlog who devotes all her time to her young child and her fellow mommy viewers, trying to forget her past. She meets a fellow mom from her kid's class, Emily (Blake Lively) who is a secretive upper-class women that may be a little less devoted to the life of her child. When Emily goes missing, Stephanie makes it her mission to uncover the truth. 

This thriller does have an interesting plot with many twists and turns that kept me on my toes the whole movie. While you're following the mystery behind Emily's disappearance, you are also learning about some dark revelations from the past of both the women. While Stephanie's sub-plot ends up being a little flawed, given they start to delve into it and it ends up going nowhere, it still gives you an idea of how it shaped her now and makes her character more complex.

Stephanie's character is a little awkward and over the top at times as she is a walking stereotype of a stay-at-home mother. However when you put her next to the confidence and pose of Emily, its a brilliant combination. The two women are so different, yet very similar as they both have skeletons in their closets and imperfections they bring to the table.

 Anna Kendrick has always been one of my favorite actors, and though I had never actually seen many things with Blake Lively her style and sophistication always attract me like a bee to honey. They complimented each other perfectly in this film. I think playing an upper-east sider with gorgeous fashion was familiar territory for Lively having played Sarena on Gossip Girl for years, so she fit this role like a glove. Kendrick seems to play roles as the chipper naive girl a lot, so she fit well in Stephanie's shoes. Henry Golding in the supporting role of Emily's husband is good too. 

7/10

Crazy, Rich Asians (2018)

Directed by Jon M. Chu

Screenplay written by Peter Ciarelli and Adele Lim

Based on the novel "Crazy, Rich Asians" by Kevin Kwan

Starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh and Gemma Chan

This film checks off all the boxes for a great romantic comedy. The only thing that really separates it from the rest of the pack is its entire Asian cast. Everyone seemed to love this movie, and I am a huge sucker for a cliche romantic comedy that leaves you with a couple tears in the end (which this did by the way). 

The story follows Rachel Chu (Constance Wu), an American-born Chinese economics professor. She is invited to travel to Singapore with her boyfriend Nick Young (Henry Golding) to attend his best friend's wedding, where she learns that he comes from one of Asia's most wealthy and prestigious families, while she came from quite the opposite. Once in Singapore, Rachel is targeted by jealous socialites and Nick's disapproving mother (played by Michelle Yeoh) who do not believe she is good enough for Singapore's most sought-after bachelor. 

The character's in this movie are not exactly super interesting and multi-dimensional. Maybe in the book there was more development of the individual characters, and maybe the book was not as riddled with cliches as the movie-- its hard saying having not read it. At times Rachel even seemed very lifeless and monotone, but maybe that is how her character was written in the book? If so, then hats off to Constance Wu!

 Regardless of the stereotyped behavior from most of the characters, Rachel was my favorite character. Her constant efforts to show she's worthy of Nick's love, her chemistry with Henry Golding, and her overall likability factor just made her stand out the most. Of course, she is closely followed by Michelle Yeoh who was perfect for the role as the cold mother. Honestly, I was on the 'Michelle Yeoh for best supporting actress' bandwagon from when I first saw this movie. If it weren't for Awkwafina delivering the laughs in this movie, it could have been a lot worse. She played Rachel's old college roommate, and she lighted the mood many times throughout the movie. 

All criticism aside, Crazy, Rich Asians isn't bad! It's one of those movies you can watch on a plane to pass the time, and feel delightfully pleased with. 

7/10