The lip-smacking, acid drops of malice in the latest film from Paul Feig (Bridesmaids) makes this unexpectedly cruel comedy as intoxicating as the mid-afternoon martinis swilled by the two central characters. Anna Kendrick is Stephanie, the annoyingly chipper mum who always goes that extra mile when it comes to extracurricular point-scoring. Blake Lively is Emily, the hard-as-a-gel-manicure fashion PR exec whose idea of a playdate begins and ends with cocktails. But somehow, over shared confidences and gin, the pair become best friends. Then Emily asks Stephanie one simple favour – to collect her son from school – and disappears.
Kendrick is a perky delight as a character who is by no means as squeaky-clean as she first appears. Her investigation into the truth behind Emily’s fate features inventive but not always convincing disguises (“Never wear a vintage Hermès scarf with a Gap T-shirt. If you were truly Emily’s friend, you would know that,” snarks Emily’s boss) and gloriously passive-aggressive use of her Mommy-vlog. The film earns extra points for a flirty wink of a soundtrack full of breathy 1960s French pop.
