Film

A Simple Favor

Paul Feig's glossy suburban thriller pairs a nervy mommy-vlogger with a martini-swilling fashion exec who vanishes, and the whole thing swings wildly between Hitchcockian noir and outright camp. It's twisty, stylish, occasionally ridiculous on purpose, and clearly having a blast with itself. Good for anyone who wants a mystery with a wink rather than a knife to the ribs.

TMDb rating6.6

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Gone Girl2014

The gold standard for 'trust no one' marriage thrillers—Fincher turns a missing-wife case into a scalpel-sharp satire of performance, media and gender roles. Rosamund Pike's chilly control rivals Lively's.

But Much colder and crueler than Favor's playful tone; the satire cuts deep and won't let you off with a wink.

Gone Girl poster

Promising Young Woman2020

Another woman weaponizing charm and appearances, but here the stakes are moral reckoning rather than mystery—candy-colored revenge with real teeth, and Carey Mulligan is magnetic.

But Angrier and more purposeful than Favor's frothy tone; expect discomfort, not just fun twists.

Promising Young Woman poster

Sharp Objects2018

Amy Adams unravels a small-town secret with the same 'glamorous woman, buried past' DNA, stretched across eight hours of dread and gorgeous, humid atmosphere.

But Slow-burn and genuinely bleak—no camp, no jokes, just a long soak in trauma.

Sharp Objects poster

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Diabolique1955

Same architecture as Favor: two women bound by a man and a body, each performing friendship while running her own con, decades before it became a genre staple.

Before Gone Girl, before Favor, there was this French noir about a wife and mistress plotting together, each hiding more than the other realizes. Ice-cold, elegant, and it invented tricks modern thrillers still steal.

But Black-and-white, subtitled, and paced like 1955—patience required for a payoff Favor delivers twice as fast.

Diabolique poster
More like this (8)

Big Little Lies2017

Wealthy mothers, immaculate lawns, one enormous secret—the same wine-and-vengeance energy as Favor, with an incredible ensemble cast chewing every scene.

But More prestige-drama than romp; the humor is drier and the stakes land heavier.

Big Little Lies poster

Knives Out2019

If you loved untangling Emily's lies, this is a masterclass in plotting—a whodunit as clever with structure as Favor is with tone.

But No femme-fatale seduction here; it's puzzle-box mystery, not psychological thriller.

Knives Out poster

The Girl on the Train2016

Another unreliable narrator peering into someone else's marriage, fueled by the same commuter-belt secrets and boozy paranoia driving the mystery.

But Less fun, more melancholic; the twists feel heavier and the pacing sags in the middle.

The Girl on the Train poster

Widows2018

Steve McQueen directs women taking control of a mess men left behind—stylish, tense, and full of the same 'who can you trust' current running through Favor.

But Grittier and more socially serious; it trades style for grounded stakes and loses the playfulness.

Widows poster

Fatal Attraction1987

The original toxic-woman-enters-a-marriage thriller—Glenn Close is terrifying and unforgettable, the template Favor is quietly riffing on.

But Dated gender politics and a much darker, more punishing ending than anything here.

Fatal Attraction poster

The Undoing2020

Another glossy Manhattan mystery about a woman whose comfortable life explodes when someone she trusted vanishes—same elegant surfaces hiding rot underneath.

But Slower pace and a finale many found less satisfying than the build promised.

The Undoing poster

Search Party2016

Same engine—an ordinary person obsessing over a vanished, glamorous-seeming friend and getting pulled into darker territory—but rendered as anxious comedy instead of style.

A missing acquaintance, amateur sleuthing, and moral rot dressed as millennial comedy—it takes Favor's premise and cranks the absurdity all the way up.

But Mumblecore pacing and cringe comedy won't suit anyone wanting Favor's glossy visual pleasures.

Search Party poster

Three Identical Strangers2018

Trades Favor's invented duplicity for a real one—the same fascination with people who aren't who they claim to be, but here the stakes are human and irreversible.

A true story that unspools with Favor's exact reveal rhythm—hidden identities, buried pasts, a jaw-drop every twenty minutes—except none of it is fiction.

But Real grief and ethical horror replace the fun; this one lingers uncomfortably instead of delighting.

Three Identical Strangers poster

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