A Simple Favour

A Simple Favour is a pretty delicate balancing act. It's a thriller told with a broad sense of humour (even slapstick at times). One false move could have been deadly, resulting in a film self-serious, or straining to be relevant. But A Simple Favour, directed by Paul Feig, has its cake and eats it too. It's suspenseful, but also hilarious. It's insightful about the head games women can play with each other, but it doesn't burden itself with trying to be meaningful. It's not trying to say something about how we live now or anything like that. What a relief to watch a film unafraid of letting its hair down - reflective, I believe, of the film's leading ladies. The plot shares some similarities with Gone Girl, but that's where the comparison should end. Gone Girl took itself very seriously. A Simple Favour doesn't take itself seriously at all. And that's a good thing.

Single super-mom, Stephanie Smothers, played by Anna Kendrick, meets the mother of her son's best friend, Emily Nelson, Blake Lively, who likes to drink, has a demanding job, and isn't much of a hands-on mother. The two have hardly any anything in common, but quickly become good friends. Several weeks later, Emily vanishes without a trace leaving her husband, Sean, Henry Golding, and Stephanie with a mystery on their hands. As they investigate what happened to Emily, they quickly realise they didn't know her as well as they thought.

A Simple Favour works because of the performances of all three leads. Anna Kendrick is fanatic as the awkward and naive Stephanie. She has tons of really funny moments and is very sweet, but even with a slight edge - the character and the performance is believable. Blake Lively is endlessly entertaining, extremely enigmatic, and unbelievably charismatic. It helps that I am a little bit in love with her. She's beautiful and seemingly lovely in real life! Henry Golding also oozes charisma and adds an unexpected amount of intrigue to the film. All three of them have excellent chemistry and provide, in my opinion, one of the best ensembles of the year. One of Paul Feig's gifts as a director is working with strong charismatic women, giving them space to whoop it up, work off one another, be co-creators. There's space in his approach, space left for behavior, humour, spontaneity.

The plot is really engaging and has seemingly endless twists and turns that leave you constantly wondering what is going to happen next and what is actually true. Each of these characters have secrets, each more shocking than the last, and there are some jaw-dropping moments throughout the film. Director Paul Feig does a great job of giving us his vision of this story. The direction is marvelous and stylish and wouldn't be nearly as good in a lesser director's hands. Unfortunately, the afore mentioned twists and turns overwhelm at times and turn the film into something it didn't intend to be - a parody of genre cinema. Granted, it does find its way back on track, but the journey isn't entirely smooth.

A Simple Favour is one of my favourite films of the year. It has excellent performances all around, a really engaging story and great direction. Interestingly, one of the strongest aspects of this film's success has been its marketing. I don't often interact with film campaigns but I could not avoid this one - the intrigue was there from the start! 

A Star is Born

A Star is Born is a rarely well made remake that delivers an affecting and effective new take on a tragic love story as Bradley Cooper makes a 4th reiteration of the classic and  manages to put a fresh spin on a Hollywood fable thanks to captivating visuals, chemistry, and performances. In this new take on the tragic love story, seasoned musician Jackson Maine, played by Bradley Cooper, discovers—and falls in love with—struggling artist Ally, Lady Gaga. She has just about given up on her dream to make it big as a singer… until Jack coaxes her into the spotlight. But even as Ally’s career takes off, the personal side of their relationship is breaking down, as Jack fights an ongoing battle with his own internal demons.

Cooper’s directorial debut is a soulfully satisfying love story that straddles the line between mainstream and Oscar-contender. The movie features live performances that reminded us why we all wanted to be rock stars at when we were young. Shot at real festivals like the Coachella and Glastonbury, there is a lived-in and immersive vibe to the film that shows the scale and impact of being famous. When Ally belts the chorus of her song for the first time on stage, the movie erupts with a geyser of feeling. Cooper keeps the camera on her face, showing us that transformative moment of uncertainty to triumphant conviction. The on screen crowd responds and so did many in the audience in the screening – that cathartic magic that can only come from the power of cinema. It’s this intimate kind of filmmaking that makes A Star is Born a must see on the big screen.

Gaga manages to make you forget about her larger than life persona and delivers a convincing, unassuming yet special dive-bar singer. And even when Ally manages to get it all, the down-to-earth restless woman is still there - it's hard not to root for her. In fact, I've been outspoken about my disinterest in Gaga and how I felt her acting (American Horror Story) was a hobby that too many people had invested in. Yet, I walked away surprised, moved and behind her 100% of the way. This is Gaga’s first lead role in a feature film and she kills it in a natural, experienced actress kind of way. If you aren’t a Little Monster by now, this film will convert you. I now realise her previous acting was misplaced (or rather miscast) in the wrong roles. What it took was a well rounded character, wonderfully written with depth, edge and grit to really bring Gaga's acting abilities into the golden glow of a potential Oscar. Yes, I think this film will be heavily nominated based on critic and audience reception so far and I think she will be the main recipient. 

Cooper has never been better onscreen. He’s one of the biggest stars in the world, but when you watch him in A Star Is Born, you don’t think you’re watching Bradley Cooper. You’re watching Jackson Maine. He melts into the trouble rockstar role seamlessly. He anchors the entire film from start to finish. As someone who was a newcomer to the guitar and singing, Bradley could easily be a rockstar if he wanted. Cooper, whose screen persona can so often be bland and unchallenging, makes precisely this conservative tendency work for him in the role. He is so sad you want to hug him.

I would’ve never thought that Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper could be paired in a feature together, but their chemistry is amazing. When they are on screen together they are electrifying, especially when they play music together. The same can be said whenever there are interactions with the supporting cast. Andrew Dice Clay as Ally’s father is great and surprisingly charming. Dave Chappelle is great as he delivers an amazing monologue, and so is Anthony Ramos as Ally’s best friend. Sam Elliott as Jackson’s brother was incredible in this film. Some other appearances (Alec Baldwin) were bizarre to me but I guess they fit into the Hollywood/Entertainment Industry world that is being portrayed.

A Star Is Born will likely go far during awards season. It has all of the elements of an Oscar contender – a beautifully crafted melodrama about the entertainment industry. It’s not a stretch to expect that most audiences will love this film and the chemistry between Gaga and Cooper. You’re in good hands technically and aesthetically with this remake of A Star Is Born, but brace yourself for heartbreak.