May 19, 2025 · Watch the official trailer
In an alternate universe, “Another Simple Favor” would be a box office smash hit bringing audiences out for fun, zany thriller escapade and a gateway into summer blockbusters.
But amid lawsuits surrounding one of the film’s stars and the tepid response upon its debut at this year's South by Southwest Film Festival, “Another Simple Favor” was relegated to Amazon's Prime Video streaming service earlier this month languishing a big budget female driven dramedy to relative obscurity.
The sequel to director Paul Feig’s 2018 surprise hit “A Simple Favor” starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively finds Kendrick’s Stephanie back in the crosshairs of Lively’s Emily as the two travel to Capri for Emily's wedding only for murder and intrigue to spoil the festivities.
Although – like most sequels – “Another Simple Favor” is a step down from its original, there's still some of the same dynamic energy at play here, especially in Kendrick’s lead performance as well as the arresting visual spectacle of glamour and high fashion.
As Stephanie, Kendrick is well adapted playing fish out of water types who have to adapt quickly to new surroundings and her return as the quirky, upbeat single mom helps keep audiences engaged with a meandering, confusing narrative through her bubbly charm and ability to engage with the audience directly through the series’ use of “Mom Vlogs” that allow Kendrick to speak directly to camera pushing the narrative forward and reinforcing key but subtle points to the overall mystery.
There's an ease to which Kendrick can blend the comedy and drama of each moment with gentle affability that makes for a compelling protagonist.
Conversely, it's clear that Lively relishes the opportunity to play a villain with such aplomb, and though Feig would probably prefer audiences to view Emily as an anti-hero, ongoing litigation between Lively and her “It Ends With Us “co-star/director Justin Baldoni have made Lively's personal life such an issue that it's impossible to separate the actor from the performance.
Somewhat surprisingly, this meta-textual construct between on-screen and real-life personas somewhat boosts audiences’ ability to despite a seemingly likable character as Emily's constant manipulations and underhanded tactics have become something that are intrinsic links to Lively's personal and professional dynamics.
The razor-thin margins between perception of Lively as a controlling diva and Emily’s scheming are so blurred in “Another Simple Favor” that the lightheartedness of much of the dramedy loses its luster by comparison to the original.
Feig crams his film full of supporting characters to make the stakes of his second film bigger and grander and although returning star Henry Golding’s Sean is completely sidelined in the sequel, Oscar winner Allison Janney has her moments as Emily's estranged Aunt Linda.
“Glee” actress Alex Newell gets tossed into the mix as Stephanie’s book agent Vicky as part of a storyline that likely was trimmed significantly in the editing bay and it’s clear that whatever comic relief her character was intended to provide as levity in tense moments simply doesn’t land in the larger context of the film.
“Another Simple Favor” looks the part more than it is the part thanks to alluring locations and gaudy production design from production designer Martin Whist that give the entire film a stunningly superficial glitz at times
The “Simple Favor” movies definitely have an air of “The Devil Wears Prada” as a murder mystery and the sequel certainly ups the ante in terms of its fashion game with costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus keeping actors – especially Lively, and to a lesser extent, Kendrick – sparkling and shining throughout.
Though the film is a considerable step down in overall quality narratively, there's still enough remnants from the highly popular original film to make “Another Simple Favor”and easily streamable home watch for those cinephiles wanting a relaxing murder mystery in the vein of “Knives Out.”
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