Another Simple Favor review: Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick’s reunion is glamorous, if overstuffed

Another Simple Favor story:

On the picturesque Italian island of Capri, Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) reunite to celebrate Emily's lavish wedding to a wealthy Italian businessman. The route from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square is more winding than the wedding, which promises glitzy guests, death, and treachery.

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Another Simple Favor review:

In one of the scenes, about 25% into the film, a police detective in Capri tells Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) that Americans are truly obsessed with true crime and even accidental deaths are turned into murder. But Another Simple Favor gives a new angle to this obsession and turns into very Only Murders in the Building mode. In the two-hour-long film, about three murders take place, which are of very important characters and does it do a simple favour of keeping us entertained? Let's find out...

I have been obsessed with having to watch Blake Lively on screen thanks to Gossip Girl, where her problematic character just had to make her the meatiest one out of the lot. Six years after the series ended, Lively came back with an upgraded version of her iconic character Serena van der Woodsen as a sophisticated Emily Nelson in A Simple Favor in 2018. The mysterious aura she exuded throughout the film remained with me, transforming into a fashionable and pulpy mode that made it impossible to stop watching her. 

Similar to Kendrick's (who made her directorial debut with Woman of the Hour) character Stephanie, we witness the obsession intensifying and bordering on the creepy, but as the film progresses, the masks are lifted and cruel intentions begin to surface. Indeed, if it's not a cocktail infused with acid, what else could it be? However silly and harrowing it gets, A Simple Favor did have its charm, which has stayed for over six years now. But did it need a sequel? Was a sequel necessary? Not really, as it ended with the intended "happy" ending: the villain is imprisoned.

Now, six years later, Stephanie is still obsessed with Emily, despite their distance and the fact that one of them is incarcerated. Conversely, Emily's release from prison coincides with her immediate marriage. How did that happen? This is like Charles Sobhraj getting married to Nihita Biswas while in prison. Well, it's not so rooted here; otherwise, how would we see Emily taking fashion to the next level?

Despite being in jail for several years, Emily does have the impeccable fashion sense that no one can beat. In her entry scene, Emily dons a silver bejewelled outfit and walks confidently, as if she owns every piece of the room. Indeed, the film ensures that viewers, regardless of gender, maintain the same gaze. To be honest, she is the best casting I have seen and it's not even up for debate.

In any case, Emily, recently released from jail, interrupts Stephanie as she reads her latest novel. She invites her to Capri for her wedding with Dante Versano (Michele Morrone), yet another smouldering actor who is just here to grab eyeballs. But we know how important the male characters are in these movies until a certain point. 

The film brings back Emily's husband, Sean Townsend (Henry Golding), who just hates her to the cuts but the only connection they have for infinity is their son, Nicky (Ian Ho). So, it's a reunion of sorts in Capri, where fashion and guns go hand in hand, but ghosts of the past crash the wedding. 

All said and done, what is expected of the film was Emily or Hope McLanden, whose real identity was once a rogue and will always be. However, the redemption arc of a criminal is portrayed as people refusing to give her the benefit of the doubt about being a changed person, which I believe should have remained unchanged.

The setting by the cliff is stunning, featuring a luxurious resort that exudes mystery in every room, heightening the thrill. Despite the script faltering just as Emily and Dante take vows over the cliff, the execution is palpable to watch. 

It's the borderline creepy twists that keep it coming, citing that there's no limit and let's overstuff with whatever we can. To be honest, that has been an issue for several films lately where the runtime is short but ideas don't run out while the viewer's patience does. 

The makers added subplots, removed others, and brought some back for convenience's sake. The script's heavy use of expository dialogue makes several scenes feel robotic, and the final act's baffling, oddly desperate turn doesn't help matters.

Another Simple Favor is enjoyable because of the friendship between Stephanie and Emily, which remains the most compelling aspect of the franchise. Both Lively and Kendrick bring the self-assurance and inquisitiveness of seasoned performers back to their roles. Kendrick has never had better comedic timing, and Lively (watch All I See is You) is clearly enjoying herself. It's disappointing that their bond doesn't receive more screen time. Another Simple Favor becomes so caught up in its antics that it almost loses sight of the bond between the two ladies who began it all.

The film's music, like the lent vocals, uplifts several moments as it blends into the Italian backdrop. But where the thrill should have begun, it ends immediately, longing for more. Only the twists persist in entangling the knots, providing minimal space for their untying, thereby undermining the intended purpose of the sequel. 

A knowing synthetic thriller based on the anguish of modern parenthood is a niche that the Simple Favor films managed to establish. However, this film is both distracting and overly lengthy.

Another Simple Favor verdict:

Another Simple Favor dresses to kill but stumbles on its way to the end. While Blake Lively sparkles and Anna Kendrick keeps it quirky, the plot tries on too many twists without tailoring them to fit.

Another Simple Favor will begin streaming on Prime Video from May 1, 2025.