Welcome back to Book Break!
If you're thinking that the lighting in here looks like I'm sitting in front of a big screen,
you would be correct, because today Book Break has come to the cinema!
I am here today at the Everyman Cinema in King's Cross, which is a gorgeous cinema,
just look at how comfy these sofas are!
And I have come here today to solve the mystery of what happened to Emily? And if you know
the answer to that, that means you have already watched the brand new film A Simple Favour,
starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick.
And if you have, then stay watching because I'm going to talk in this video about the
differences between the movie and the book. But if you don't know the answer of what happened
to Emily, you've probably seen the trailers and been asking yourself the same question,
because there have been so many mega mysterious trailers floating around the internet, filled
with lots of mysterious French music, and setting up such a mystery of what is going
on in this film.
Well, here on Book Break, I've got the answers, because not only have I seen the movie A Simple
Favour, I have read the book!
So what is A Simple Favour really about? It is about these two best friends, or more accurately
let's say frenemies. There is Stephanie, played by Anna Kendrick. She is a mommy blogger with
a shocking secret. And I know that all thrillers say that they have a shocking secret, but
this one really is beyond anything you're imagining, I promise.
Online, she seems like the perfect mother, but she is a lot darker than she seems. And
then there's Emily, one of the other mothers at the same school, who's seemingly the polar
opposite of Stephanie. She's very glamorous, very elegant, and completely uninterested
in being the 'perfect mother'.
The two women make pretty unlikely friends, but Stephanie has a lot of fun going round
to Emily's very glamorous house and sipping on cocktails. And one day, Emily asks Stephanie
a simple favour: will she pick up her son for her after school while she's at work?
Seems no problem – except then Emily never comes back.
So that sets up the mystery in A Simple Favour: what happened to Emily? And Stephanie is determined
to solve it, using her blog to publicise the mystery and ask her readers for help. And
in the meantime, Stephanie is helping Emily's husband Sean grieve her. And the two end up
moving in together.
But of course, this is a psychological thriller, so all is not what it seems. There is not
just one unreliable character, there are three.
Stephanie, Emily and Sean all have more going on beneath the surface than it seems. And
it's great fun reading Stephanie's blog when you also see the contrast with real life to
see just how calculated every sentence that she writes is.
There are twists and turns to keep you guessing at every stage, but what makes this thriller
stand out from any other thriller that I've read, is that it is so much fun. It is very
tongue in cheek. Yes, it is genuinely exciting and intriguing, and at some points really
very creepy, but it is also making fun of all of those thriller tropes that it's utilising.
The perfect parody really.
But how did the movie compare to the book? Well the good news is, if you've already seen
the film, you haven't had the book spoiled for you, because a few key things are different.
Like, practically the entire ending is changed. And even for the reveals that do end up being
the same, how we get there and how Stephanie uncovers the mystery is rather different.
So you can watch things uncover in a different way.
The film is such a great adaptation in that way, in that you can enjoy them as two separate
things, but it also captures so much of what I loved about this book. It makes it more
obviously a comedy in the film I think, so if you loved, as I did, how tongue in cheek
this book was, the film really captures that very well. And can we talk about the actresses
for a second? Because they were both amazing.
Anna Kendrick is always hilarious, and she was so great in this, loved to see a really
really feisty side of her. And Blake Lively was brilliant! I always love Blake Lively,
because she's gorgeous and she's very funny on Twitter, but I've never seen her play a
role like this before, where she got to be very very funny, but also vicious and brutal,
and also look great in suits.
So we've got this gorgeous movie tie in cover here which you can buy, I'll put the link
in the description below, and once you've read the book, head down to the Everyman Cinema
to watch the film.
And for now, do give this video a thumbs up, and leave a comment below if you have seen
this film yet, or if you've read the book and you're waiting for the movie, and of course,
subscribe to this channel because we post new videos every Thursday.
Next week on Book Break, we will be celebrating poetry, and how much it's changed since I
was at school. See you next time.