A Simple Favor

A Simple Favor is currently streaming in Australia on Amazon Prime Video and Stan, and in the US on fuboTV, and it delivers exactly the kind of comedy that earns a loyal following. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. With 4,624 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Anna Kendrick is the obvious draw, but the whole ensemble earns its laughs. Start it on Amazon Prime Video whenever you need something guaranteed to land.

A Simple Favor arrived without much fanfare and built its audience the hard way — through word of mouth. A Simple Favor gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. 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. Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively lead a cast that never overplays a joke. It hit screens in 2018. The timing in A Simple Favor is precise enough that even the throwaway lines land on a second watch. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

A Simple Favor is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. It is a manageable watch, easy to fit into a single evening. Anna Kendrick sets the tone, but the supporting cast is where a lot of the best moments come from. A reliable pick for any night you want quality comedy without the homework.