Another Simple Favor

Paul Feig is no doubt terribly disappointed by the row that has arisen between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni over the film It Ends With Us. As the conflict has degenerated and will soon be resolved through a trial, the marketing of the highly topical film Another Simple Favor has also taken a big hit, with the main actors barely seen in each other's company. Another Simple Favor is a sequel to the 2018 thriller A Simple Favor, which has had a long and twisting journey from conception to its premiere, but now it's here.

Seven years have passed since Stephanie, played by Anna Kendrick, framed Emily Nelson, played by Blake Lively, for murdering her father, twin sister, and attempting to kill her husband, and even her. Emily is now behind bars and Stephanie has released a book, The Faceless Blonde, which describes how Emily ended up in jail but during a book reading, Emily suddenly appears and tells us that she has both been released and that she is getting married in Italy. The biggest surprise is that she wants Stephanie to be her maid of honour.

Another Simple Favor goes to great lengths to constantly surprise the viewer and introduce new characters that make the drama even more complex. When a murder occurs just before the wedding, everything points to Emily being guilty, and immediately a cat and mouse game between her and Stephanie is underway. Alike the original, Lively's character is still far too exaggerated and never feels believable. I rather think she feels like a desperate attempt by Feig to appear mysterious and controlling. But after a while it becomes almost parodic and without saying too much about the film's surprises, to me they are unsurprising. Another Simple Favor reuses far too much from its predecessor and therefore rarely feels original or exciting.

The absolute highlight of the film is the chemistry between Kendrick and Lively, which oscillates between playful and threatening in a way that makes the dialogue seem very well written. Unfortunately, the script is weighed down by a couple of newly introduced characters who all feel pale and forgettable, not least 365 actor Michele Morrone, who is clearly the worst in the role of Emily's future husband, and who is also a part of the Italian mafia here. One could defend several parts of Feig's film as self-aware and sure, sometimes it works, but too often the comic aspect falls completely flat and the story becomes both uninteresting and difficult to take seriously. Since the main characters are well written, it feels sad that their roles are almost decimated to supporting roles towards the end.

As the atmosphere between Kendrick and Lively today feels rather chilly, the likelihood of a third film feels rather slim, even if the ending sets the stage for more murder and intrigue. For my part, Another Simple Favor feels like a totally pointless sequel that doesn't really offer anything new at all. I wasn't completely sold on the predecessor either, but at least it felt relatively stripped down, focusing on the two main characters, while the sequel mixes this concept while trying to play Agatha Christie at the same time. The result is a very unsatisfying thriller that should never have seen the light of day.