Film Review: “Another Simple Favor” Brings Twists, Couture, and Chaos to Capri — and Mostly Delivers
There’s something undeniably old-school about Paul Feig’s Another Simple Favor, a sequel that knows its strengths and doesn’t mind spinning wildly off the rails as long as it looks fabulous doing so. The film doesn’t so much follow in the footsteps of its predecessor as it jet-sets to Italy in six-inch stilettos, dragging a suitcase full of couture, crime, and camp. The result is a zany, stylish black comedy mystery that thrives on the chemistry of its two leads, leans into genre parody, and never misses a chance to show off a killer outfit.
Picking up five years after the events of A Simple Favor, we find Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) still basking in the modest glow of her bestselling memoir, now with sagging book sales and a lifestyle vlog teetering on irrelevance. Her quiet suburban life is jolted back into chaos when Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) resurfaces from a presumed prison sentence — out on appeal thanks to her fiancé’s elite legal team. She wastes no time dragging Stephanie back into her web of intrigue, inviting her to Capri to serve as maid of honor at a lavish, sun-soaked wedding to the dashing Dante Versano (Michele Morrone), heir to a powerful Italian crime family. Cue the espresso-fueled mayhem.
The change in scenery — from suburban Connecticut to the sun-drenched cliffs and lemon groves of Capri — gives the film a fizzy, almost screwball European energy. Think The Talented Mr. Ripley meets Death Becomes Her by way of Emily in Paris, with a few mafia movie tropes tossed in like olives in a martini. But while the location lends visual flair and a heightened sense of escapism, it also contributes to the film’s heightened sense of spectacle. Feig appears to be having fun blending genres — Giallo, farce, black comedy, even soap opera — and the result is colorful, unpredictable, and often hilarious.
Still, what keeps Another Simple Favor grounded — and frequently delightful — is the crackling rapport between Kendrick and Lively. Gone is the first film’s dynamic of admiration and envy; in its place is wary détente and acid-laced banter. Kendrick plays Stephanie as someone both addicted to danger and determined not to get played again. Lively, meanwhile, fully embraces Emily’s sociopathic chic, adding unexpected layers of vulnerability and menace beneath the surface. She’s the glamorous chaos engine the film needs — and you feel her absence acutely when she’s offscreen.
Supporting players bring fresh energy, with some standout performances. Henry Golding returns as Sean, still mostly confused and wine-drunk, delivering sharp one-liners with weary charm. Elizabeth Perkins, stepping in as Emily’s mother Margaret (replacing Jean Smart), adds sly comic timing and a meta nod to her recasting. Allison Janney, as Emily’s Aunt Linda, practically steals the film, nailing the balance between deadpan and deliciously over-the-top. She feels like she wandered in from an entirely different movie — and you’re glad she did.
Morrone smolders convincingly as Dante, though he’s largely there for eye candy and a few well-timed smirks. Elena Sofia Ricci plays his mafia matriarch mother with grand theatricality, and while the mafia subplot doesn’t pack the same punch as the film’s emotional or comedic beats, it does add a splash of operatic danger. The murder that crashes the wedding midway through is pure pulpy fun, setting off a cascade of double-crosses and identity games that echo the first film’s love of twists, secrets, and sexy chaos.
What Another Simple Favor understands is that its audience isn’t here for procedural precision or realistic stakes — they’re here for couture, cocktails, and characters who might stab each other or kiss at any moment. The film delivers just that. There are moments of laugh-out-loud absurdity, like Stephanie delivering a heartfelt confession while brandishing a gun in a designer dress, or a Vespa chase through Capri’s cobblestone streets that feels one feather boa away from a telenovela spoof.
Feig shows a more assured hand with tone this time around, allowing the film to live in the heightened world it clearly loves. Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis’ screenplay isn’t afraid to be ludicrous — and is all the better for it. The film knows it’s silly, and it plays with that silliness like a cat with a feathered hat. One truth serum scene — involving pink martinis and a few too many secrets — plays like a parody of a parody, and yet somehow works, thanks to Kendrick’s commitment and Lively’s blissful weirdness.
And speaking of commitment, costume designer Renée Ehrlich Kalfus deserves special recognition. The fashion in this film doesn’t just support the story — it is the story. Emily’s outfits, in particular, are jaw-dropping statements of power, glamour, and danger. One wedding gown — part gothic lace, part avant-garde sculpture — is so striking it deserves its own spinoff. There’s a constant sense that these characters are performing versions of themselves, and their clothing is an essential part of that performance.
If the film has a moral, it’s that women are endlessly complex — capable of reinvention, deception, loyalty, and destruction, sometimes all in the same scene. Stephanie and Emily’s relationship remains the film’s fascinating, unstable heart. Are they friends, enemies, co-conspirators? The answer shifts minute to minute, and watching Kendrick and Lively play that dance with wit and style is a treat in itself.
In the end, Another Simple Favor is a glitzy, ridiculous, and frequently delightful follow-up that understands the assignment. It leans into what made the first film a cult favorite — the fashion, the chemistry, the bonkers plot twists — and adds an exotic Italian backdrop just for good measure. It might not deepen the characters much, but it sure knows how to dress them up, throw them into chaos, and let them sparkle.
Whether this is the end of Emily and Stephanie’s story or just the latest chapter, one hopes the next installment won’t take another seven years. Because if this duo wants to go to Tokyo, Marrakesh, or a Swiss boarding school next, I’ll be first in line.
Another Simple Favor will be streaming on Amazon Prime on May 1st