Another Simple Favor

Are we supposed to remember the not very memorable movie from 2018 that this is a sequel to? Well according to IMDb I actually did watch that one, but no, sorry, I am drawing a complete blank.

Meanwhile this movie is just a jumble of ideas and none of them are very good. Lots of twists and turns that are supposed to dazzle us but there are no real stakes and there never is real tension to get the viewer invested. The parts that are supposed to be funny work here and there but even then... Great locations though.

I think Paul Feig peaked with Bridesmaids and that is almost 15 years ago. Maybe it is me that is getting too old for this.

Unfortunately, Another Simple Favor was a major letdown. As expected, it struggled with the same problem I'd anticipated: it's not clear what story is left to tell.

The original film centered around Stephanie, a seemingly ordinary suburban mom and aspiring YouTuber, who gets drawn into a dark mystery involving her glamorous new friend. It worked because it was grounded, quirky, and had just enough of a true-crime flavor to keep it relatable and engaging. But in the sequel, Stephanie is now a famous best-selling author, and the story takes us to Europe for a mob wedding. The grounded appeal of the first film is completely gone. Instead, it turns into full-blown lifestyle fantasy-extravagant fashion, exotic settings, and absurd scenarios that lack the relatability of the original.

The movie constantly references the first one-sometimes too much-and tries to top its jokes, but it often comes off forced or ill-advised. There are plot points that are played for laughs but really shouldn't be, and some of the humor feels out of place or even tone-deaf.

That said, it's not unwatchable. There are a few solid laughs, and the locations are undeniably gorgeous. But it just didn't work for me. It lost the spirit of what made the original special and became something flashier, but emptier.

I enjoyed the first movie. The characters had some realism to them and were somewhat likeable. These characters are cardboard cutouts, profoundly selfish and unlikeable, unbelievable and written as if some not ready for prime time 19 year who was trying to be cool wrote this. Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, do you really need the money this bad? I would have read the script and said I am not doing this film - not unless the script is shredded and rewritten. You can kiss a third installment goodbye after this mess. If you can go into this with no expectations and see it as a forgettable who done it, then maybe it is worth watching while folding socks or something.

"Another Simple Favor" attempts to recapture the quirky charm and twisted energy of its predecessor, but mostly falls flat. While it brings back the stylish aesthetic, witty banter, and familiar faces, it struggles to justify its own existence beyond nostalgia.

The plot tries to outdo the first movie with more twists and over-the-top antics, but ends up feeling forced and unnecessarily convoluted. Instead of building on what made "A Simple Favor" fun and darkly clever, this sequel leans into exaggerated absurdity, often sacrificing coherence for shock value.

Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick still have chemistry, but even their performances feel a bit weighed down by a script that doesn't give them as much to play with. The humor is hit or miss, and while there are entertaining moments sprinkled throughout, they're not enough to elevate the overall experience.

In the end, "Another Simple Favor" comes off as a flashy, mildly amusing follow-up that forgets what made the original work. It's not terrible-but it's far from memorable.

This is the worst sequel ever. They took the same characters in a stupid plot. They fail to even exploit the viewer's curiosity in seeing the protagonists after such a long time, because they all turn out to be caricatures of themselves. Everything seems forced, the dialogues are awful, and to get a smile he stuffed everything with gratuitous swear words. Seriously: I don't pay attention to swear words, but here there's one normal word for every ten swear words. Not even halfway through the film I was already wondering if it was time to turn it off. A silly parody of the first film. I tried to get involved in the crime, but it seems like a bad B-movie.