I’ll be the first to admit that I found A Simple Favor (2018) to be little more than a passable, fun adaptation of a book I’m sure my sister would love. I thought Blake Lively gave a great performance, and it was one of the few times when I found Anna Kendrick’s manic theater kid energy to fit the material well enough not to grate on me. I know I’m not its target audience, but even so, it was a perfectly entertaining way to giggle away a few hours. And if I’m being full honest, the only reason I watched it at all was because I received an invite to a screening of the sequel, and I wanted to fill in the blanks before checking it out.
(Note, a lot of Another Simple Favor won’t make sense if you haven’t seen the original).
Upon finishing the original film, I found myself oddly excited for the sequel, because the finality of its ending didn’t lend itself to sequelization, and I wanted to see what feat of writing could continue a story that, as far as I could tell, was over. And since there is no sequel novel upon which to base a second film, every aspect of part two would have to be wholly original.
Another Simple Favor picks up some time after the original ends. Stephanie (Kendrick) has built a career as a mommy blogger/true crime writer, but her current book tour is fizzling out. Since her fandom saw the contents of her book unfold in real time on her blog (the end of the first film), no one is too interested in reading it. Still, it’s enough to inspire Emily (Lively) to make a surprise appearance at an author event to invite Stephanie to her wedding in Capri. You see, Emily has found a new man — a very rich new man — who was able to get her out of jail with “very good lawyers.” And since Stephanie just dropped her son off at a summer camp where the one rule is that no one can call in or out, he’s functionally out of the picture and mom’s night out at the movies can continue.
Once these plot conveniences are out of the way, our hero (who, this movie wants to keep reminding us, fucked her brother — a joke that remains baffling) is now stuck at a beautiful destination wedding with dueling mob families, an over-medicated mother (Elisabeth Perkins), an under-medicated Aunt (Allison Janney), a cruel mother-in-law (Elena Sofia Ricci), and of course, her sassy tour manager (Alex Newell). Before long, people start dying, and it’s up to Stephanie to figure out what’s going on. And since the mob won’t let her use her phone, she doesn’t have the support of her fandom. Luckily, Stephanie isn’t the pushover she used to be, and she might just have all the right skills to crack the case on her own. Basically, it’s A Simple Favor by way of Knives Out, with a heaping helping of wish-fulfillment fantasy for the ladies.
Much like its predecessor, the film is light on its feet, and way more interested in having fun than adhering to any sort of real-world logic. Where it differs from the original film (and exceeds it IMHO) is that it embraces the goofiness of the plot and even revels in it. The first film seemed afraid to be a bit trashy, which made it feel like it was trying to be smarter than it actually was. Another Simple Favor embraces the trash and delights in being goofy, and it’s all the much stronger for it. It’s a funnier film, and one with a more compelling mystery, albeit a more freewheeling one. While it is still a bit too long, and there are a handful of questionable world-building details, the vast array of silly supporting characters keep things funny enough for the length not to be as felt as in the original film.
Again, Lively is fantastic, and her outfits regularly drew gasps and cheers from the crowd, while Kendrick proves to be the exact right choice to capture Stephanie’s growth from “present mom” to “vigilant detective.” I maintain my assertion that Henry Golding, who reprises his character from the previous film with added drunken rage, is the best candidate play the next iteration of James Bond.
All in all Another Simple Favor is exactly what it’s supposed to be. It’s a mighty fun time at the movies. I look forward to talking to my sister about it.
Directed by Paul Feig
Written by Jessica Sharzer, Laeta Kalogridis, based on characters created by Darcy Bell
Starring Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, Bashir Salahuddin, Taylor Ortega
Rated R, 120 minutes
