A Simple Favor was among the most underrated comedies of the past several years. Then again, maybe that description no longer holds water since it proved popular enough to spawn a sequel. In any case, the original remains among the most elegantly crafted entries in Paul Feig’s filmography. It also contains a career-best performance from Blake Lively and another wonderful role for the always delightful Anna Kendrick. Their chemistry is what holds Another Simple Favor together. This sequel has more characters, more lavish production values, and an even soapier plot. Yet, the first film’s fresh factor is difficult to top.
Kendrick’s Stephanie Smothers is now an author, writing about her friendship turned murder case with Lively’s Emily Nelson. Just when it seems like Stephanie has seen the last of her, Emily and her designer wardrobe resurface. Emily scored a Get Out of Jail Free card along with a fiancé (Michele Morrone). Now she has another simple favor for Stephanie. Actually, it’s more of a polite demand. Emily wants Stephanie to be her maid of honor, or else she’ll sue over the book. Stephanie reluctantly agrees to accompany her to Capri, an island in Italy. Having Amazon bankroll a project is always a perk!
The scenery is as glamorous as Emily, although Stephanie knows she’s walking into trouble. Her instincts prove correct, as she gets wrapped up in a plot concerning death, deception, and deliciously brutal burns. All the while, the film still keeps us guessing whether Emily has reformed. Feig once again brings a Hitchcockian quality to the thrills and humor with one of the murders calling North by Northwest to mind. He also makes the most of the European backdrop, channeling classics like To Catch a Thief. Lively herself is a dead ringer for Grace Kelly.
While the mystery is twisted in more ways than one, Another Simple Favor has more characters than it knows what to do with. Some newcomers are welcome like Elena Sofia Ricci as the mother of the groom and Allison Janney as Emily’s estranged aunt. Other cast members get sidelined like Elizabeth Perkins, who fills in for Jean Smart as Emily’s unstable mother. Alex Newell plays Stephanie’s manager, although this character contributes virtually nothing in the long run. Where the first film’s script was tightly paced with every subplot paying off, this one introduces several elements that fall by the wayside.
Even if the narrative is messier this time around, it’s still fun watching the mystery unfold. This is largely thanks to the chemistry between Kendrick and Lively. Despite the hell that Emily has put Stephanie through, you still buy the idea that these two could rekindle their friendship. Of course, you can just as easily see Emily throwing Stephanie under the bus. Either way, Emily proves too intoxicating to dislike. Stephanie is also impossible not to love. As far as murder mysteries go, Another Simple Favor is the first film – or Glass Onion, for that matter. With these two actresses at the forefront, though, it’s a request that you simply can’t refuse.