A Simple Favor is set to join otsoNY's film location archive in the next few weeks. The 2018 black comedy mystery thriller film directed by Paul Feig from a screenplay by Jessica Sharzer and based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Darcey Bell stars Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Linda Cardellini, Rupert Friend, and Jean Smart, and follows a small town vlogger who tries to solve the disappearance of her mysterious and rich best friend.

One of the many film posters for A Simple Favor

A Simple Favor was released in the United States on September 14, 2018, by Lionsgate and received positive reviews from critics, with praise for the plot twists and performances of Kendrick and Lively, and has grossed more than $97 million worldwide.

The majority of the film was shot in Toronto, Ontario in Canada, though there is a brief scene which takes place in New York City. The Dutch at 131 Sullivan Street doubled as 'Ristorante Basilico'.

Some interesting facts about the film include the 39 costume changes that Anna Kendrick had throughout the film. Her style began as very bright and happy, but it evolved as she uncovers the secrets around her. Whilst one of the reasons that Blake Lively wanted her charater Emily to wear suits was because she wanted to differentiate Emily from the character she played on "Gossip Girl." Both characters are women in fashion from the Upper East Side.

Film: A Simple Favor

Film: A Simple Favor

The ending of the film and some of its plot points heavily differ from the source novel: Emily plans to use the $2,000,000 life insurance policy to frame Sean for insurance fraud and escape to Europe; the novel also ends with Stephanie being unintentionally complicit in Emily's scheme and becomes arrested, while Emily makes a clean escape; Emily is only a twin in the novel, while in the film, she's a triplet; in the novel, Emily is aware that her twin wants to commit suicide and lets her, whereas in the film, she drowns her; in the novel, Sean is aware of Emily's plan to vanish.