From 3/8/2025 SXSW festival screening:
"Revenge is a dish best served chilled with a twist."
Do yourself a favor. If you haven't seen “A Simple Favor,” stream it. If “A Simple Favor” is a wicked whodunnit dark comedy, “Another Simple Favor” is another flavor of bizarre, darker comedy that will guarantee a bonkers time. Capri is its own character and the cinematography alone is worth the price of admission.
Emily Nelson (Blake Lively; "The Shallows," "The Age of Adaline," "The Town") and Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick; "Into the Woods," "Up in the Air") are back as the best frenemy. They entangle themselves in each other's life and messier relationships, upping the ante on sass, snark and suspicion.
Cashing in on the deadly fallout in “A Simple Favor,” mommy vlogger and influencer Stephanie is now a rather famous real crime book author, “The Faceless Blonde.” In a signing event, she's surprised by an unexpected visitor's appearance, supposed-to-be imprisoned, former public relations executive, Emily.
Emily got out of prison after the murder she committed only after five years. She's bailed by her new, mysterious fiance, getting married in Capri, Italy, and she is inviting Stephanie to be her maid of honor. Stephanie is voluntold and doesn't have much say in the matter, as Emily would sue her for using her likeness and real life story for her crime novel if she doesn't come along. Besides, this would boost Stephanie's popularity with her followers from all over the world.
Sounds suspicious? It is. Stephanie is no dummy. She knows Emily is up to no good. But what? Would Emily bring Stephanie to Capri to murder her as a revenge? That would be too obvious, considering the trip and wedding are made public online. What about trapping her in Capri so she can't return home and separating her from her son? Or framing her for a bad deed? Figuring out the motives and scenarios is part of the fun. You'll be in for one bombshell after another with what transpires, twists and spirals.
Stephanie gets a taste of luxury jetting off on a private jet and speeding off on a boat cruising the azure waters of scenic Italy. She finally meets Emily's fiance, Dante Versano (Michele Morrone), a wealthy scion of a prominent conglomerate (read: mafia) family.
Emily claims that they actually met and had a brief dalliance many moons ago when she was living in Italy. When Emily went to prison and Stephanie wrote a sensational book about their sordid shared story, it raised Emily's profile internationally. Dante purportedly tracked down and they rekindled their relationship. The betrothed couple appears lovey-dovey, but when it comes to Emily, who knows how Dante comes to be under her spell.
The glamorous guests are who's who to avoid. Rival mafia, long lost family members and inimical in-law. Stephanie's exasperated ex-husband, Sean (Henry Golding, "Crazy Rich Asians"), who coupled up with Stephanie in "A Simple Favor," is forced to tag along because of Emily's and his young son. The panoramic vista along the craggy coastlines and posh clifftop villages is sweepingly spectacular.
The decadent wedding location is every bride's dream. Pre-nuptial meet-and-greet is draped with soft spring flowers and fresh wreaths and bright lemons from the vines. Pastel petals rain on the wedded couple, gorgeously giving way to crimson roses adorning the opulent garden reception. The air is rich with secrets and splendor.
Lively is glamour-personified. Stylish and extravagant ensembles with dainty chain of pearls, flowers and laces, oversized hat and gloves, floor-sweeping white veil lined with blood red edges, as if signaling what's to come. Mysterious personal relationships, deep dark family secrets, betrayal and entrapment, identity ideation and deception, double crossing and multiple murders.
While all these may seem ominous, the characters drip with humorous dread, contempt and sarcasm, trading barbs with wry wit and poisonous edge, making it enjoyable to watch, even with the crude language, and as the story grows more outrageous and goes off the picturesque rail. Even the crimes are committed in slightly comical ways. The simply wrapped ending sets up another favor misadventure.
A glossy noir, "Another Simple Favor" is wildly twisty and fabulously fun.
"Another Simple Flavor" will be released on Amazon Prime Video on May 1, 2025.
