Kendrick stars as Stephanie, a helicopter mom who gives online baking tutorials. If there’s a reason to see to “A Simple Favor,” it’s to watch Lively slink into a (seemingly) femme fatale role that’s part Barbara Stanwyck, part Tyler Durden. As things spin out of control, “A Simple Favor” teeters between camp and seriousness while the melodrama — incest, adultery, murder, twins! For the big tonal swings in “A Simple Favor” to work, the characters needed to be more plausibly grounded. The material of “A Simple Favor” isn’t quite up to his high standards, though.

Source: National Post September 13, 2018 15:33 UTC