All the differences between the book and movie

Major spoilers for both the novel and film versions of A Simple Favor lie ahead.

This past weekend, A Simple Favor hit theaters as a total mystery. Even to fans of the book.

Director Paul Feig and screenwriter Jessica Sharzer took major liberties with Darcey Bell’s novel of the same name—replacing much of the original story’s tense psychological dissection with campy, high-powered dark comedy. The movie capitalized on starring actors’ (Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and Henry Golding) seemingly innate ability to make a missing person story glittery and light.

The tongue-in-cheek take on the mommy blogger turned super sleuth tale was undoubtedly more fun than the nail biter novel, but for the full A Simple Favor experience you have to read the book. 

Or at the very least, this list.

Here’s a complete rundown of the major differences between A Simple Favor the movie and A Simple Favor the book. 

In the book…

1. Not everything is told from Stephanie’s perspective.

The plot unfolds through Stephanie’s eyes as well as the cryptic narration of Emily and Sean. Readers receive a lot of insight into the main characters’ motives, fears, parenting tips, etc.

In the movie, there is no narrator, but most of what we see comes only from Stephanie’s point of view — excluding a few solo Emily and Sean scenes. As a result, Stephanie serves as a reliable narrator and a far more sympathetic protagonist for the film.

2. Stephanie is much creepier (and has a different name.)

Way spookier than Anna Kendrick’s take, book Stephanie pursues her relationship with Sean in a methodical and deceit-heavy way. From lying about liking Breaking Bad to eating meat for the first time in years, Stephanie changes dozens of aspects of her life to become the perfect housewife stand-in for Emily. Thing get very Stepford Wives, very fast.

Even her name is creepier in the book. Stephanie Ward is changed to Stephanie Smothers for the film. Seriously, Smothers? She sounds like an overbearing Cabbage Patch doll not a borderline stalker.

3. And Emily is almost nicer.

At least on the surface. In the novel, Emily never curses out Stephanie and most of her blistering hot  one-liners are reserved for her internal monologue. 

The change gave Lively’s realization a lot more style and room for comedic delivery, but she is a far cry from the stoney woman in Bell’s novel.

4. Emily specifically picks Stephanie to take care of Nicky. 

The movie gives the impression that Kendrick and Lively become friends through sheer happenstance. The boys want a playdate, Emily wants a drink, and presto: mommy buddies. 

Alternatively, Bell’s telling involves Emily loosely stalking Stephanie to see if she’d make a good temporary nanny and “fish” for her plotting. Naturally, Stephanie’s flawless parenting and gullible demeanor lands her the job… unfortunately for her.

5. Sean has a completely different job and alibi.

So, Sharzer didn’t make Sean an architect, but she did pick something almost as clichéd. 

Sean is no longer a successful investment banker like he was in the book. Now, he’s a former writer turned English professor. Presumably, this change was made to accommodate Sean’s literary connection with Stephanie and that TA threesome plot line. (A thing that, by the way, also never happened in the book.) 

But the career switch threw a wrench into Sean’s reason for being in England at the time of Emily’s disappearance. In the book, Sean is in England visiting real estate investors for business. In the movie, his mother has a broken hip. If they had just left his career alone, her hip would have been fine. 

6. The insurance payout is only $2 million.

Big screen, big fictional bucks. The insurance payout at stake is $4 million in the movie. I guess they were adjusting for 2017 to 2018 inflation? Wait, that can’t be right.

7. Dennis Nylon leads the search for Emily.

In the book, Stephanie never breaks into Emily’s old office pleading for the help of the fashion forward. Instead, she gets in touch with Dennis pretty easily. He holds a press conference and sends a bunch of interns to put flyers up around Connecticut. And when she returns from the dead, he refers her to a helpful psychic. What a guy.

8. That steamy smooch between Kendrick and Lively never happens.

You probably could have called this one yourself. The Emily and Stephanie kiss isn’t in the book —although there is a description of Stephanie masturbating while thinking about what it would be like to be Emily. (Yes, be her. Not be with her.)

9. The whole nude painting plot line isn’t included.

In the book, the prominent painting of Emily’s nude body is replaced with a picture of a set of twins. It’s just as symbolic, but isn’t used to move the plot forward at all. 

As a result, none of Emily’s past romances come into play and Stephanie never visits the art studio of a knife-wielding lesbian. (See this movie for the Linda Cardellini scene alone. It’s so fun.)

10. Stephanie has a super weird relationship with meat.

Novel Stephanie became a vegetarian following her brother’s and husband’s car “accident.” They had been on their way to pick up steaks to grill for dinner and Stephanie instantly associates meat with death. 

Years later, when Stephanie moves in with Sean, she begins serving meat for dinner again. And that’s goes totally fine. Right up until Nicky screams at her, “That’s my mom. You killed her and cooked her.” It’s so horrifying and amazing. Anna Kendrick’s face would have been priceless.

11. There’s no Hope or Faith. (And definitely no Charity.)

I don’t mean that metaphorically. Those characters just don’t exist. 

Emily’s twin is actually named Evelyn in the book. And while she is an addict, she doesn’t have much of a sordid past. The pair never burn down their childhood home or kill their father. They never have a third sister. And there is no bible camp.

Consequently, Emily and Evelyn’s matching charity symbol/flame tattoos are barbed wire tattoos in the book.

12. Bernice figures out the whole twin thing way before Stephanie. 

An unsung hero of the A Simple Favor universe. Emily’s mom’s caretaker, Bernice (who is not an elderly gentleman running around with a shotgun and bucket hat, by the way) is an unabashed badass who puts together the possibility that the body found in the lake isn’t Emily’s way before Stephanie does. 

And then, Bernice does nothing about it because she’s too busy. I love this woman. Such self-care. Much self-prioritizing. You do you, Bernice.

Side note: In the book, Stephanie also doesn’t have to pretend to be a housekeeper/saleswoman and exploit an old woman’s dementia to visit Emily’s mom. She just calls and asks. Like a normal person.

13. Emily’s twin never tries to blackmail her. 

But, Evelyn does call Emily planning to kill herself.

Emily quickly goes to her sister’s rescue at the family cabin, but when Evelyn has a change of heart and decides to live, Emily quickly realizes how much she needs her sister’s body for her plan to work. 

Instead of drowning Evelyn, as she does in the movie, Emily pushes Evelyn towards the psychological brink and ultimately convinces her to go through with her plan. Evelyn’s death is less cinematic, but definitely more chilling.

14. Sean is in on the whole thing.

Yup. He sucks at insurance fraud, but is totally in on the plan. He just doesn’t know about the whole twin part of it. 

Naturally, when what Sean believes to be his wife’s body shows up, he gets super spooked and shacks up with Stephanie. (If you can believe it, Emily is even more angry about this in the book than she is in the movie.)

15. There is a recording of Stephanie confessing to incest.

Anna Kendrick’s actions in the movie seem a little unmotivated compared to Stephanie’s in the book. Emily actually records Stephanie admitting that Miles is the biological son of her half-brother. And then blackmails her with it. Girl has it rough.

16. Emily tells Stephanie Sean abused her and forced her into the insurance scam.

And Stephanie totally buys it! It’s exhausting! Emily doesn’t even have to hit herself with a wrench!

The three main characters eventually meet up at the Nelson household to unpack everything. Emily makes it clear that she will frame Sean for everything (including her sister’s death) unless he tells everyone he overreacted by calling the police and giving her Nicky. Stephanie backs her up by later dragging Sean on her blog.

Note: The fake shooting and button camera obviously aren’t in the book with all of this going on. It’s more psychological and less theatrical, but still juicy.

17. Emily murders an insurance agent and makes Stephanie help her hide the body.

Yup, there’s a whole murder Feig just left out of the movie!

Emily kills an insurance agent who is asking too many questions and then forces Stephanie to help her drive his body and his car off the side of a cliff. But, not before Emily intentionally (and accidentally) leaves evidence behind.

18. Sean and Stephanie are framed for murder.

Shortly after the insurance agent’s murder, police officers arrive at Emily’s house with questions. They may have found the sample of Sean’s hair Emily left in the car on purpose… but they definitely have found the sapphire ring she left in the car by mistake.

Through a deft bit of manipulation, Emily convinces the officers that the evidence points directly to Stephanie and Sean. We don’t discover if the charges stick, but they do get the cops off of Emily’s trail long enough for her to plan her next move.

19. Emily gets away with Nicky. 

No orange jumpsuit-ed basketball for this girl. Unlike the film version of Emily, who is serving a twenty year prison sentence, book Emily escapes with her son in tow. The two grab their fake passports before heading out of the US for some mommy and son bonding time. 

20. Andrew Rannells character, Darren, doesn’t exist.

And that’s really a shame. Because him hitting Emily with a Prius was kind of the highlight of my year! 

21. No one ever says “brother fucker” and there are no martinis in sight. 

Not even one! In the book, Emily and Stephanie bond over white wine. Which is fine… but, like what is this? Book club?

A Simple Favor, the movie, is in theaters now.