Emily Nelson (played by Blake Lively) is one of the main characters in the elegant mystery-comedy A Simple Favor, which premiered in 2018. Emily is a glamorous but secretive mother who goes missing after asking her new friend, fellow PTA mom Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), to watch her son for a playdate.
While her casualness about her bisexuality is something to be admired, Emily is a femme fatale whose exploits are remorseless and can easily fit into old models of murderous gays from the Hays Code era of moviemaking.
That said, she is unquestionably cool, fashionable, and darkly humorous, which makes watching the film quite entertaining. A Simple Favor succeeds in making Emily more than just a stereotype. She’s a product of her ruthless ambition, not her sexuality, and her complexity makes her one of the most memorable femme fatales in recent cinema.
Love her or hate her, she’s the kind of character who lingers in your mind because she refuses to be pinned down.