Another Simple Favor review: Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick return with friendship, fashion, and wild twists in this crazy sequel!

While the sequel doesn’t top the original, it stands strong as a one-time thriller. Here’s why!

Another Simple Favor review: When A Simple Favor released back in 2018, I remember being at the edge of my seat till the very end. But it wasn’t the end, until the very end. Every minute counted for a new jaw dropping twist. So when years later, its sequel was announced I couldn’t help but wonder what more batshit crazy scenario could Emily possibly have up her sleeve this time? And much to my surprise, the frenemous duo did commit to the dark turn of events this time around as well! Based on the novel by Darcey Bell and directed by Paul Feig, Another Simple Favor seamlessly ties up to where its predecessor left us. It returns with double the craziness along with some old and new faces!

Emily or should I say Hope (Blake Lively) conveniently bails herself out on appeal because of her new found love interest, Dante Versano (Michele Morrone) who may or may not be an Italian mafia boss. The two are getting married in Capri and, weirdly, Emily wants Stephanie (her ex friend and the woman who threw her in jail in the first place) to be her maid of honor. With a potential lawsuit and some good old emotional blackmail Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) agrees to follow Emily to Italy. But as expected the wedding just becomes a hub for murder and as dead bodies fall to the ground one by one, Stephanie finds herself in the middle of it all, and as the main suspect. Is this Emily’s trick to get her revenge or there’s more to the story is what keeps you hooked till the end!

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If you remember the first movie well, then following this one would be a piece of cake for you. Let that be hint enough! Because Another Simple Favor takes the missing pieces of the puzzle from the first movie and plants it in this one. The first half is funny especially because of the camaraderie Lively and Kendrick share on-screen. Their banters and sassy one liners are rather engaging and also are a poignant reminder that female friendships are complicated af! At one moment you think they’d kill each other but the other you see them be each other’s ride or die. They’re relationship is as twisted as it can be and yet a friendship blooms amidst their mind boggling situation. You weirdly root for them both to come out stronger. The second half brings out all the dark turns and while it surprises you, it doesn’t leave you shocked like the first one. It feels like a good thrilling story that you can experience once at best!

Blake Lively as the psychotic mean girl Emily is a delight to watch. She aces playing an evil character and I feel we need to see more of that! As Emily, she builds that mystery around her. We don’t know what she is going to do or say next and when she does show all her cards you’re either left stumped or amused. She feels like an alter ego all of us probably have inside of us but just don’t want to act on. Anna Kendrick on the other hand is charming as the mommy vlogger/ crime solving enthusiast Stephanie. Both the actresses confidently carry the film on their shoulders with convincing performances and insane dialogue delivery. Not once do you feel the need for a ‘hero’ in this story. When you see these two women together one can start expecting the unexpected. 

But amidst the murder mysteries, the eerie plots, the crazy characters, the real highlight for me was costume designer Renée Ehrlich Kalfus. This definitely was one of those films where costumes were a character in themselves. We saw Stephanie adorning some gorgeous summer dresses in Capri but it was Emily’s ensembles that stole the show and how! From long fur jackets to an insanely gorgeous wedding dress, it’s difficult to not fawn over Blake Lively in this film!

Overall, Another Simple Favor is a glamorously fun thriller, even though it turns out to be too crazy to believe by the end. And in classic Simple Favor style Lively still leaves room for more, possibly to seal the deal with a trilogy next year!

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