Steamy Blake Lively Thriller Hits #1 on Netflix—and Now I’m Even More Excited for the Sequel

As someone who watched A Simple Favor (starring Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick) in theaters back in 2018, I was overly excited to hear that the thriller/comedy, which is based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Darcey Bell, is getting a sequel. 

And while I wait for the second film to debut in theaters, there’s plenty of time for a rewatch of the first iteration, which is currently sitting at the number one spot on Netflix’s top ten movies list.

Just a few days after arriving on the streaming service, the twist-filled film quickly claimed the number two spot on the list. And then it didn’t take long for the steamy flick to reach number one, bumping 2024’s Madame Web to second place. 

A Simple Favor follows two mothers who eventually become friends. To say they are total opposites would be an understatement. Emily (Lively) is very outspoken and Stephanie (Kendrick) is a bit more reserved. After Emily mysteriously goes missing, Stephanie takes it upon herself to find her and soon discovers some terrifying secrets lurking in the shadows. 

In a 2018 interview with PrideSource, Kendrick shared what it was like to kiss her onscreen co-star. When asked about the kissing scene, she told the outlet, “I mean, all I’m ever thinking about in [kissing] scenes is, who has gum? Who has a mint?”

The Pitch Perfect alum continued, “And I think Blake is probably the same because I’ve never experienced a guy searching for gum. So, we were the mintiest, freshest two people to have ever kissed in the history of America.”