Another Simple Plan
review by Bobby Blakey
Director Paul Feig has delivered a wide variety of films in the comedy genre including Bridesmaids, Ghostbusters, Spy and more recently Jackpot!. In 2018 he brought a darker comedy to the screen with A Simple Favor starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. Now the gang is getting back together for the follow-up feature Another Simple Favor co-starring Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Alex Newell, Elena Sofia Ricci, with Henry Golding and Allison Janney. Could this next chapter be another murder mystery worth checking out or will it be too big of a favor to give it a chance?
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Another Simple Favor follows Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson who reunite on the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.
I enjoyed the murder mystery of the first film, but I think it was the dynamic between Kendrick and Lively thar really made that film work. Their opposite personalities and attitudes really made for some great and sometimes uncomfortable moments. With this kind of tale, it made me worried about how this could spawn a sequel without just feeling like it is rehashing the first film, but Feig has managed to pull it off.
The time jump matches up with the end information to where the characters are and allows Feig to take them in some fun new directions. Emily returns in her robust fashion and the reason on why she is there and why Stephanie would even consider doing anything with her makes sense so you can buy into this new tale. Add to that the return of Henry Golding and why he would attend this event as well and you have some clever world building before getting us into the new mystery.
Sure, there are elements that are straight out of soap opera, but it works. They keep you guessing if Emily could have changed at all and take it in directions that allows these two friend foes to unite and have some more great moments together. There are plenty of twists, turns and murder for them to unfold and while not everything works and sometimes it is just silly, but it manages to still entertain and keep you invested in these characters if you are a fan of the first film.
The ending sets up a way they could make another film without just rehashing the same stuff and potentially and even more entertaining direction should Feig and the cast decide to do so.
Decide for yourself and check out Another Simple Favor streaming now on Prime Video from Amazon MGM Studios.