The sequel to A Simple Favor is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video, which means all eyes are on star Blake Lively.
But before you dive into Another Simple Favor, consider taking a step back to revisit some of Lively’s best on-screen performances.
From thrillers to teen romances, Lively brings her A-game to one film after another.
5. ‘The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants’ (2005)
Much like blue denim, some things are just classic for a reason. Lively became a star thanks to this poignant teen film about four best friends who discover a magic pair of pants that fits them all. Lively plays the beautiful and troubled Bridget, who is grieving the loss of her mother while spending the summer at an elite soccer camp in Mexico. She and her best friends Lena (Alexis Bledel), Carmen (America Ferrera) and Tibby (Amber Tamblyn) experience heart-wrenching but ultimately healing journeys as they go on separate summer adventures, all connected by the magic of a pair of jeans.
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Lively plays a wide spectrum of emotions in this film, from joyful to lusty to despondent, and she creates an intensely human character in Bridget. It’s no wonder she became a star.
Rent The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants on Amazon Prime Video.
4. ‘The Shallows’ (2016)
One of Lively’s more underrated movies, The Shallows is a survival thriller in the vein of 127 Hours or Gravity. Lively plays a surfer named Nancy who becomes stranded on a rocky outcropping after a shark attack. The tension is through the roof in this terrifying movie, and Lively shines as she uses her wits and ingenuity to avoid the literal jaws of death.
If you’re scared of the ocean, you probably shouldn’t watch this movie. For everyone else, you should definitely check it out. It’s a fascinating, scary and ultimately inspiring movie about perseverance and survival.
You can watch The Shallows on Starz or rent it from Apple TV+.
3. ‘A Simple Favor’ (2018)
Lively and Anna Kendrick play unlikely friends and eventual rivals in this outrageous, campy thriller. They play neighbors Emily (Lively) and Stephanie (Kendrick), who form a friendship that quickly goes off the rails after Emily asks Stephanie to pick her son up from school and never returns. When Stephanie, a widowed single mom and vlogger, realizes that Emily is missing, she gains fame and notoriety while sharing her quest to track Emily down on her vlog.
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A Simple Favor hits you with non-stop twists that feel both grandiose and captivating. If you haven’t seen it and you think you know what’s going to happen, you don’t. Just sit back, relax and enjoy the incredible chemistry between these two stellar actresses. And get ready to watch the sequel.
Watch A Simple Favor on Netflix.
2. ‘It Ends With Us’ (2024)
It’s a shame that this movie, based on the bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover, got bogged down in all the drama between Lively and her co-star Justin Baldoni. (Although, at the risk of seeming tawdry, you could argue that the drama of the Baldoni/Lively debate makes the movie even more fascinating to watch.)
But even without all the gossip, It Ends with Us is a well-made and thought-provoking movie. It’s certainly one of Lively’s best performances to date. In the film, she plays Lily Bloom (and yes, she knows how ridiculous that name is), a florist who falls in love with handsome surgeon Ryle (Baldoni). Over time, however, their relationship becomes abusive. Lively plays Lily with a touching vulnerability that makes the viewer empathize with her, while simultaneously living in the sumptuous romance that keeps her tied to her husband.
Watch It Ends with Us on Netflix.
1. ‘The Age of Adaline’ (2015)
This fantasy romance film has a magical premise: Lively plays Adaline, a woman who stops aging at 29 after a traumatic car accident. As the world continues to age around her — including her beloved daughter — Adaline struggles to lead a normal life.
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The Age of Adaline is a heart-wrenching love story that features a stacked cast, including Harrison Ford as one of her long-lost loves and Ellen Burstyn as her grown daughter. It’s stylish, elegant and lovely to look at, just like Lively herself.
Rent The Age of Adaline on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+ and YouTube.
