Another Simple Favor is a deliciously campy and vampy sequel to an already outlandish film that wasn’t clamouring for a follow up, and yet here we are, and I’m glad this exists. Bringing back most of the talent that went into the original and expanding on that film’s ludicrous twists, turns, and reveals, Another Simple Favor is elevated, darkly comedic popcorn fodder done right. Returning director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat), writer Jessica Sharzer (working this time in tandem with Shutter Island screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis), and stars Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are able to recapture the bloody, boozy magic with a shift in location that plays perfectly into the film’s knowingly silly tone. It’s a self-reflexive soap opera writ gorgeously large.
Set sometime after the events of the first film, mommy blogger and untrained true crime sleuth Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) is struggling emotionally and professionally as she’s about to embark on her first book tour. Her struggles aren’t helped by the sudden reappearance of Emily Nelson (Lively), her former next door neighbour that she sent to prison for murder. She’s out now and about to get married to a “well connected” Italian named Dante (Michele Morrone). Emily demands that Stephanie travel with her to Capri to be her maid-of-honour, or else she’ll sue over the new book. Stephanie immediately senses that something is off about this invite from her best frenemy, but in need of new material and egged on by her assistant (Alex Newell), she follows Emily anyway. It naturally turns out to be a huge mistake, and what would normally be a happy occasion for most will become a bloody nightmare that leaves Stephanie in a dangerous position.
Another Simple Favor matches the martinis and machetes tone of Feig’s first film perfectly. It’s a sequel that feels like it hasn’t missed a step, but also one that leans into the belief that a follow-up to a mystery with such an originally epic twist has to be even more amplified in comparison. There’s a giddy glee from top to bottom in Another Simple Favor that entrances, like everyone involved here is somehow getting away with something really silly and naughty. Most importantly, however, Feig and company are more than willing to let the audience in on all the malicious, catty fun.
The chemistry between Kendrick and Lively is exceptional, with the former serving as the put upon but quick witted protagonist, and the latter once again vamping it up as the conniving, charming antagonist. Henry Golding reprises his role from the first film, as Emily’s ex, but this time as an amusingly drunken shell of a man. Elena Sofia Ricci steals a fair number of scenes as Emily’s skeptical and malicious mother-in-law-to-be. Elizabeth Perkins and Allison Janney also pop up as relatives Emily wants nothing to do with, but who will provide plenty of context for all the misdeeds to come. Everyone in Another Simple Plan gets a moment or two to shine, no matter the size of the role or the complications of the plot, and it keep’s Feig’s film fleet footed and jazzy.
Feig and cinematographer John Schwartzman (in his fourth collaboration with the director) revel in the sun drenched and punch-drunk opulence of the Italian coastline, turning it into a perfect backdrop for a comedic mystery. There’s always something uniquely awe inspiring to look at, but the script is so snappy with the thinly veiled threats and straight-razor sarcasm that the material more than holds its own. It’s also one of the most openly fashionable films of the year, with the costume department deserving a lot of credit for making all of Lively’s over-the-top outfits increasingly unhinged as the film goes on. If there are any major improvements in Another Simple Favor over its predecessor, it’s that this sequel is formally more interesting to watch.
Most people who watch Another Simple Favor probably aren’t coming for the window dressing, though. They’re coming for all of the twists, secrets, and reveals, of which there are plenty with the ultimate payoff being a deliciously soapy doozy. These moments deftly straddle the line between suspenseful and silly, with the final act taking a turn towards psychological and psychosexual campiness so assured and confident that it’s hard not to admire the swing. Feig and his collaborator all knew exactly the kind of film they were making when signing up for Another Simple Favor, and they go for it with all gas and no brakes.
Yes, it’s all very silly, and I still don’t understand why this would need a sequel, but across its plethora of overlapping revenge plots and comedic detours, Another Simple Favor hits an entertaining sweet spot. It sacrifices a lot of the first film’s tautness in favour of a more comedic tone, but maybe that was the best approach. It’s the kind of movie you want to watch after spending a long day at the pool or beach, and probably a better soft launch to the summer movie season than this week’s other big release, Thunderbolts*. It’s the movie equivalent of taking a double shot of something strong and just seeing what kind of shenanigans one can get up to.
Another Simple Favor is now streaming on Prime Video.
