Another Simple Favor review: Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick double down on the fun in twisted thriller

Another Simple Favor review

Cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Michele Morrone, Henry Golding, Allison Janney

Director: Paul Feig

Star rating: ★★★

There was always a sequel on the cards for A Simple Favor. It was just a matter of time that director Paul Feig would go back to the delightfully wicked and entertaining premise of the two women living on the edge. So of course, Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively return, but this time, the story is not so much about motherhood but more about… everything else. Murder, mayhem, mafia… as the viewer is transported to the beautiful locales of Capri, Italy for a wedding. It all promises a lot of thrill, but delivers partially. (Also read: Thunderbolts movie review: A bunch of misfits nearly take you back to Marvel's glory days, but stop short of greatness)

The premise

It begins right after the original ended, with our resident vlogger as well as amateur sleuth Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) trying to calm her nerves because her latest release is not selling. The strained relationship with her son is not much help either. What comes as a shock on the day of her book reading is the dramatic entry of Emily (Blake Lively), who is recently released from jail and is also getting married in Italy. She will not take a no for an answer when she wants Stephanie stand as her Maid of Honor.

The man involved here is Dante (Michele Morrone), who is definitely involved in the mafia, as he is also the heir to an empire run by his mother Portia (Elena Sofia Ricci). Stephanie spends the first half wondering why she has been called in the first place, and it leads to a chunk of passive-aggressive insults directed at Emily whenever they are in a scene together. The two actors are game, and are like lightning in a bottle in these scenes. “Do you think I'm not really in love? Or you think no one could love me?” Emily asks, which throws off Stephanie for a second. Then there's a snarky pool-side session where Stephanie points out if Emily is tailoring herself into this very ‘The Godfather’ world of mafias, she should remind herself that it does not work out well for Diane Keaton at the end. Emily is too smart to not have thought of it earlier.

Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick have a ball

Blake Lively, styled superbly in those chic and elaborate fits, is clearly having a ball here. She brings just the right amount of unpredictability to her part, and is the true anchor to the film. Kendrick, too, is a delight to watch, leaning so well into the comedy and bringing her anxious energy to the scenes. It is such a letdown when the script does not trust these two actors enough and crowds the second half with a number of twists and turns. Instead of the wicked silliness of it all, the film overcomplicates matters to such an excess that there is no dramatic arc to sink one's teeth in.

Final thoughts

The point is Another Simple Favour does not really know where to stop. After a handful of twists, the gag slips and falls off from the cliff. The severity of these twists slowly turn into the ridiculous. One of the main shocker really does come from nowhere, calling back to a pending love affair, and then gleefully moving forward to the next setup. It becomes like a piling of revelations, one after the other, competing amongst themselves on the race to become the most eyebrow-raising. One wishes the film trusted its own instincts a little bit more. Still, Another Simple Favour remains playful and obsessively wicked, providing just enough escapist fun to breeze through a few hiccups.

Another Simple Favour is available to watch on Prime Video.