‘Another Simple Favor’ review: You can trick me twice (and I love it)
4/5 Blake Livelys in LouBoutins
I do not think that movies have to reinvent the wheel. Especially when it is a sequel to an original film. Which is why I ended up loving Another Simple Favor.
The Paul Feig film is the follow-up movie to his 2018 film, A Simple Favor. Emily (Blake Lively) wears beautiful suits, constantly is messing with Stephanie (Anna Kendrick), and is yet again in the middle of mystery murders. And I really did love that the movie did not try and be something that this franchise is not. It’s Emily and Stephanie being obsessed with each other and their messy relationship. That’s what we want out of this!
Emily gets out of prison and invites Stephanie to her wedding, while at Stephanie’s book signing that is for the book that’s all about Emily. The two are, as Miles so calmly (not at all) tells his mother, obsessed with each other. Stephanie is making money on Emily and Emily loves her in her own twisted way and it makes for a deeper dynamic between the two than we saw in A Simple Favor.
The overall feel of Another Simple Favor is lighter than its predecessor. There is still the twists and turns we’ve come to expect and the film furthers the mystery of the McLanden sisters. Hope and Faith were the reason that Stephanie got roped into this story in the first place but Another Simple Favor puts her right in the center of Emily’s nonsense.
Mystery wrapped in a pretty Italian bow
Part of the appeal of A Simple Favor was the aesthetic of the film. Seeing Blake Lively in suits was a big draw for audiences. But with Another Simple Favor, Feig and company uses the film’s Italian backdrop to their advantage. You’re roped into the beauty of Capri and the outfits that both Emily and Stephanie wear and so when the mystery of it all kick off, we’re lost in finding out the truth.
Did I miss obvious clues? Yes. I was too busy trying to figure out where to get Stephanie’s dress that she wears to Emily’s rehearsal dinner. But that’s what makes these movies so fun to me. If I wanted a good murder mystery that kept me guessing, I’d watch my Knives Out movies or dive into an Agatha Christie story.
Not to say that this isn’t a GOOD mystery, it is! I didn’t know where it was going. But I do think that Another Simple Favor leans more into Emily and Stephanie’s warped friendship with each other and less about the darkness of Emily’s life, like the first film did.
It’s still funny, beautiful, and you want to live in the weird world that Emily and Stephanie find themselves in (maybe not close to them but somewhat nearby). And so with more twists, more turns, and the kind of sequel that doesn’t try to change what came before it, I think Feig has made himself a nice little franchise that he can come back to as he seems fit and I love it.
Another Simple Favor is streaming on Prime Video.
(featured image: Prime Video)
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
