Stephanie (Anna Kendrick; Pitch Perfect) is a single mom who has a crafts and cooking vlog. She is THE class mom… the one everyone wants to hate. She volunteers for everything and makes the perfect lunches/party favors/desserts, etc. Emily (Blake Lively; Gossip Girl) is a working mom with a high profile career in the fashion industry. She always looks glamorous but isn't the most attentive parent. These two make the most unlikely pair of friends but they find they keep spending time together as their sons are friends.
Then one day Emily asks Stephanie to watch her son but three days later she is still missing. Stephanie, who has decided the two are best friends, begins to discuss Emily's disappearance on her vlog while the police investigate. Of course, Sean (Henry Golding; Crazy Rich Asians), Emily's husband becomes a prime suspect as Stephanie not only defends him but helps out with his and Emily's son and their home. Just as Sean and Stephanie become closer things mysteriously begin to change and Stephanie digs deeper into Emily's past. What she finds there is disturbing and sets a series of events in motion that ends with Sean being shot.
There is no denying that this film is all about Kendrick and Lively and the relationship these two characters form. Luckily these actresses can pull off this complicated friendship as each of them play their part to a tee. Kendrick is cute and perky and Lively is glamorous with just a touch of danger living closely under the surface. Golding rounds out this love triangle nicely though he plays second fiddle to the two ladies.
This feature is presented in the latest Dolby Vision technology with a 2160p resolution and the outcome is terrific. Scenes like the one of Lively at the lake of her old summer camp are visually beautiful with lush greenery in the background. Complimenting the video is Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio that offers some rich sound especially where the soundtrack is concerned. Dialogue sits comfortably in the center channel while background permeates the surround speakers. The combo pack comes with a few extras including 3 Audio Commentaries with Cast and Crew, 8 Featurettes, a Gag Reel, Deleted Scenes and a Flash Mob video which is the most fun of all the extras.
While the concept and script for A Simple Plan are great and mildly unique, the execution doesn't quite work which I attribute to Feig. While he is a terrific director in general, I don't feel he knew what to do with this is material. The movie feels a little schizophrenic at times as it can't decide if it wants to be a serious murder mystery or a campy/cheesy comedy. Somehow the blending of the two genres gets lost in translation which can't even be saved by the two leading ladies.
With that said I suggest you may want to mix yourself a couple of martinis and settle in for a decently enjoyable few hours.
Grade: B+
