Another Simple Favor, directed by Paul Feig is Prime videos latest original film. This movie is a sequel to the 2018 Lionsgate film A Simple Favor. While it attempts to further the story and tone of the original, it falls short by trying to incorporate too much, and it heavily pushes the line on what can happen when a movie doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Starting with the plot of this movie, it begins as a basic “island vacation murder mystery” that throws Emily and Stephaine (Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick), and the mysteries that surround their relationship, into a brand new setting. However, as the movie goes on and leads into the third act the movie completely derails itself. Without getting into spoilers, this movie suffers from trying to include a twist to its mystery. While the reveal of this twist is shocking, it is an extreme case of overcompensation. In an effort of trying to surprise the audience (mixed with the comedic aspect of this movie) the audience is left with one of the most bizarre third act reveals i’ve ever witnessed on screen. A majority of the rest of the film was enjoyable, but upon looking back on this movie it will always be remembered for its final 30 minutes.
As for the comedy, this movie was actually very funny. I laughed out loud quite a few times during the 2 hour run time, and never felt like the movie was dragging along too much. A lot of the positives from this movie come from Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively’s interactions. They have great onscreen chemistry and play up their characters just the right amount. A struggle this movie seemed to have was balancing the tone of murder mystery and comedy, and as mentioned before the mixture at times can be harmful to the cohesiveness of the story. While Lively and Kendrick are able to balance this dynamic very well, the rest of the film falls behind. Without the two of them this movie wouldn’t have worked at all, but because of their comedic performances it is still a thoroughly enjoyable watch.
It is important to note, that I have not seen the original A Simple Favor, so it might have contributed to a little of my confusion surrounding this movie. But in looking at others reviews of this film, the verdict all seems to be the same: this movie has way too much going on. From a subplot about rival mobs, to conspiring family members, and an emotional backbone for Stephanie (that goes nowhere) this movie tries to pack way too many stories into a single 2 hour runtime. It’s admirable what they try to accomplish but their failure to do so leaves the movie feeling unfinished.
In the end, I did have fun watching this movie. While there is a lot going on, it’s thoroughly entertaining and has a lot of laughs. There are some very weird moments towards the end but they contribute to making the movie shockingly and memorable. While its not a masterpiece, if you’re seeing it with a group of friends, it’s a very fun watch. Overall, I’d give the movie a 3 out of 5. If it had stuck the landing and managed it’s storylines better it would’ve been more of a success, but Anna Kendrick and Blake Livelys comedic dynamic is able to pick up the slack for the most part.
