Movie review
September 13, 2018 · 117 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
A 2018 black comedy mystery thriller follows single mom and parenting vlogger Stephanie who befriends glamorous PR executive Emily, only for Emily to disappear and pull Stephanie into a twisting investigation of murder, fake identities, insurance fraud, and long-buried family crimes. The story centers two flawed, assertive women driving a stylish noir plot full of dark secrets and betrayals, with visible feminist messaging that critiques traditional female passivity and encourages confidence plus sexual ownership. A charged female friendship with a make-out scene and intense obsession dynamic adds clear queer subtext that has given the film cult appeal among some LGBTQ+ viewers, though the core remains twisty entertainment rather than activist messaging.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for A Simple Favor.
Woke representation / casting
Naturalistic casting fits the suburban Connecticut setting and story logic with white leads and fitting supporting roles including Henry Golding as the British husband; incidental background diversity appears but carries no visible signaling or mismatch complaints.
Woke political dialogue
A handful of pointed lines critique traditional feminine habits like excessive apologizing and push female assertiveness and sexual confidence; no extended political speeches, current-events references, or institutional lectures.
Identity-driven story themes
Core thriller relies on hidden identities, twin deception, and personal crimes rather than modern identity politics; however, the intense, flirtatious, obsessive dynamic between the two female leads includes a visible make-out scene and strong queer subtext that has created dedicated LGBTQ+ cult appeal, adding noticeable weight under scoring rules for visible queer elements.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Light satire on the myth of perfect suburban motherhood versus ambitious career life and on gendered expectations around apology and passivity; family abuse backstory stays personal and historical, with no modern systemic patriarchy, capitalism, or anti-conservative framing.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No documented right-leaning or anti-woke complaints treating the film as pushing DEI, identity politics, or agenda-driven content; reception stayed centered on fun and performances.
Creator track record context
Paul Feig has repeatedly built projects around strong female leads in male-coded genres, most notably the 2016 Ghostbusters reboot that became a flashpoint for representation debates; Jessica Sharzer is identified as a queer screenwriter with credits on American Horror Story, which frequently centers LGBTQ+ and gender-identity stories; other key crew show no comparable patterns.
Production
