Tweet
Review by James Lindorf
It has been seven years since the trio of Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and Paul Feig surprised audiences everywhere with their hit adaptation of the Darcey Bell novel “A Simple Favor.” Movies that are a critical success and bring in nearly five times their production budget typically have a sequel announced before the original film is available to purchase. However, Amazon Studios and Lionsgate didn’t announce the sequel until 2022 for reasons that will remain a secret and a small pandemic. With Filming wrapping in mid-2024, post-production lasting into January, and debunking of rumors about behind-the-scenes drama, the film was primed for its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival. After generating buzz and critical responses on par with the first film, Amazon Studios is ready to bring the new film to Prime Video on May 1st.
“Another Simple Favor” catches up with Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) five years after Emily, aka Hope (Lively), shook up her quiet life. Stephanie has been solving cold case after cold case, but after one ended terribly, she decided to take a step back from her investigations and her channel. Sales of her new books about her experiences with Emily are dwindling due to her lack of exposure, and her publisher is pushing for a sequel. The opportunity arises when Emily, fresh from prison, makes an appearance at a book reading and asks Stephanie to be her Maid of Honor. Emily is planning a destination wedding for the ages in Capri to her fiance Dante (Michele Morrone), a dashing Italian “businessman,” and wants her best frenemy by her side. Other wedding guests include Emily’s ex-husband Sean (Henry Golding), who has been forced by the courts to bring Nicky (Ian Ho) to the ceremony, and series newcomers Elena Sofia Ricci who plays Dante’s mother Portia, the great Elizabeth Perkins, who is replacing Jean Smart Emily’s mother Margaret and Allison Janney as Emily’s Aunt Linda. Emily’s wedding will include everything: something borrowed, something blue, someone old, and someone dead, giving Stephanie the push she needs to dust off her detective skills.
“Another Simple Favor” is at its best when Kendrick and Lively are on screen together. Their dynamic is now much more dynamic, with Stephanie viewing herself as mostly Emily’s equal even though she still can’t help but be a fan girl from time to time. Kendrick is a bit understated for a large portion of the film, lacking her trademark sassiness due to the trauma from Stephanie’s last case, and while it is good for the character, it is not great for the film. Lively, however, has a couple of flat moments and some unexpected requests to pull off, but, as a whole, is giving her career-best performance.
Screenwriters Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis do their best to balance playing the first film’s greatest hits while introducing new elements. Kendrick and Lively each get time to shine, but the movie is bloated with repeated jokes and characters who don’t have much to offer. Their biggest problem is one that has plagued Feig a time or two, and that is pacing. Morrone and Ricci are charming actors, but they are mafia caricatures that are there to serve a single purpose and not much else. The worst of the new additions is Perkins’ portrayal of Margaret, who is only here to entertain people who find dementia, or over-medication, humorous. She gave a strong performance, but I hated every scene she was in. Janney is the standout of the new cast, nailing every thriller, comedic, and daytime soap aspect of the film.
“Another Simple Favor” is the definition of dumb fun. The premise for the mystery is outlandish; taking a joke from the first movie and making it into a major plot element hurts the final product, as does the reliance on curse words as punchlines instead of actual jokes. Despite that, it is hard not to smile and laugh when Kendrick and Lively do their thing. It is in the ballpark of the first film while also being noticeably lesser than the original. Still, it earns enough goodwill and a high enough score of 3.5 out of 5. I’d take another trip with this team.
Director: Paul Feig
Producer: Paul Feig, Laura Allen Fischer
Screenwriter: Jessica Sharzer, Laeta Kalogridis
Distributor: Amazon MGM Studios
Production Co: Amazon MGM Studios, Lionsgate Films, Feigco Entertainment, Amazon Studios
Rating: R (Sexual Content|Nudity|Language Throughout|Suicide|Violence)
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): May 1, 2025
Runtime: 2h 0m
