‘Another Simple Favor’ Review: Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick Dive Headfirst Into Soap Opera Territory with Paul Feig’s Entertaining Sequel

The first A Simple Favor movie was a pleasant surprise when it was released in theaters back in the fall of 2018. Paul Feig was in need of a hit after the whole Ghostbusters debacle, and adaptations of novels about missing white women were really trendy for a time. Granted, Darcey Bell’s novel wasn’t very good, but Feig’s adaptation had a certain amount of snark to it. Yes, it remained mostly loyal to the novel, but Feig’s signature sense of humor, and the undeniable dynamic chemistry between stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively were just too hard to ignore. It makes sense that there’s a sequel, but it is still pretty weird that this is Feig’s first sequel. Especially after earning so much acclaim for movies like Bridesmaids and Spy.

What Is ‘Another Simple Favor’ About?

Set five years after the events of the first movie, mommy blogger Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) is finally publishing her first true-crime novel, The Faceless Blonde, which chronicles the events that transpired in the first movie. Of course, Stephanie’s frenemy and the faceless blonde herself, Emily Nelson (Lively), shows up at one of Stephanie’s live-read events, somehow no longer incarcerated, and engaged to a new man. Emily then forces Stephanie to be her maid of honor at her luxurious wedding in Italy, to the powerful and handsome Dante Versano (Michele Morrone), a businessman with strong ties to the mafia.

Stephanie and her assistant Vicky (Alex Newell) embark on a trip to Capri, Italy for the lavish wedding where the former quickly becomes reacquainted with her ex-lover and Emily’s ex-husband, Sean (Henry Golding). Sean has since become a bitter alcoholic and is only at the event because the court mandated that he bring his and Emily’s son Nicky (Ian Ho). Stephanie also meets Dante’s judgmental family, including “monster-in-law” Portia Versano (Elena Sofia Ricci) and Emily’s estranged aunt Linda (Allison Janney), who has come to the occasion alongside Emily’s ailing mother Margaret (Elizabeth Perkins). It’s not long before a dead body appears, and the once uncomfortably picturesque wedding becomes an afterthought. Especially as more bodies begin to pile up.

‘Another Simple Favor’ Ramps Up the Pulpiness To New Levels

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While the first Simple Favor was the perfect blend of an airport thriller and a dark comedy, this sequel dives head-first into soap opera territory, with countless wacky twists that feel ripped right out of a telenovela. In fact, it gets to a point where there are so many plot twists that it at times feels a bit too indulgent. It’s far pulpier and campier than the original, and while the first movie featured characters that felt more real, the follow-up has characters that feel more heightened and caricature-like. Whether or not that’s a good or bad thing, all depends on your taste.

It’s the kind of movie where a highly decorated actress like Allison Janney plays a character that feels like the WASP equivalent of her character from I, Tonya, but high off Klonopin. Or the kind of movie where an actor as reliably suave as Henry Golding plays an easy-to-hate drunk, who we see jack off in the shower. It’s surely heightened, but at the same time, Emily and Stephanie’s lives were so scandalous, that by the end of the first movie, there’s only so much a character can actually take before they lose their minds.

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If anything, it almost feels like Another Simple Favor relies too much on shocking the audience. Right as the movie is letting the audience breathe from one big reveal, it decides to throw an even bigger curveball at the audience. It’s almost like a pattern. At times, it feels almost too repetitive. Its saving grace is a third act that goes for broke in a bonkers finale that cements the role of Emily Nelson as one of Lively’s most memorable roles.

Amidst all the controversy regarding Lively’s feud with Justin Baldoni, the timing of Another Simple Favor feels a bit jarring, especially as Emily constantly teases Kendrick’s Stephanie that she’s going to sue her. Yet it also feels like the perfect kind of role for Lively. It rides the line of being a self-parody, and Lively isn’t afraid to go to some pretty bizarre places when it comes to her character.

‘Another Simple Favor’ Is a Return to Form for Paul Feig

The only thing that spares the film from going into full soap opera territory is the movie’s vibrant and cinematic Italian setting. It helps that Feig actually filmed Another Simple Favor on location, unlike other movies that are released straight-to-streaming, or even some of Feig’s most recent movies, like Jackpot! and The School for Good and Evil. This actually feels like something that was made for the big screen. Which makes it even more of a bummer that this will be released only on Prime Video.

It’s safe to say that Feig isn’t as consistent of a filmmaker as he used to be. As previously mentioned, he has never made a sequel, but after a few rocky movies, he feels far more confident returning to these characters. He makes sure that we never take the movie seriously enough, but also isn’t afraid to laugh at the audience for going along with some of the bigger twists. Unlike the original film, which had a novel to go off, Feig is even more confident with the restraints taken off. He isn’t particularly interested in just making the same movie again, and even if he does get a little too carried away, it’s better to have a movie that takes swings rather than one that does absolutely nothing.

Similar to the original, Another Simple Favor manages to defy your expectations. It’s a sequel that never feels hellbent on just repeating the same plot beats as the first. While it does get too cocky in delivering dozens of plot twists, the sexiness and soapiness are still there.

Another Simple Favor premiered at the 2025 SXSW Film Festival. It will be available to stream on Prime Video on May 1.

Another Simple Favor

Comedy

Crime

Thriller

Cast

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Blake Lively

Anna Kendrick

Henry Golding

Andrew Rannells

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Follows Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson as they head to the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman.

Release Date March 7, 2025

Director Paul Feig

Writers Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho, Kelly McCormack

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Pros & Cons

Blake Lively cements Emily Nelson as one her most captivating characters, and is willing to go in some bold directions for her character. Another Simple Favor never takes itself too seriously, riding the line between parody and thriller.

The amount of twists ultimately make the movie feel more exhausting than it should be.