Another Simple Favor (2025)

Release Date: May 3, 2025
Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Michele Morrone, Henry Golding, Bashir Salahuddin, Allison Janney, Elizabeth Perkins

The Plot: Crime, Chaos, and Capri

Another Simple Favor takes the absurdity of the first film and throws it into overdrive with a destination wedding in Italy, a mafia subplot, and one of the most controversial scenes of the year. Five years after their deadly suburban drama, Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) are back—sort of frenemies, sort of allies, but always entangled in something ridiculous.

Stephanie’s now a famous true crime podcaster-turned-author, riding high on the success of her book that details the events of the first film. She’s invited to Capri by Emily, who has inexplicably avoided jail time despite multiple attempted murders. Emily’s marrying wealthy Italian businessman Dante Versace (Michele Morrone), who has connections to the mob. When Stephanie agrees to be maid of honor, she’s sucked into another web of secrets, crime, and betrayal, complete with murder, long-lost family members, and some questionable fashion choices.

The movie leans heavily into its campy tone, but often crosses the line from fun to flat-out absurd. There are triple-crosses, plot twists that make zero sense, and scenes that feel ripped out of a parody.

The Cast: Chemistry That Can't Save the Script

Anna Kendrick returns as Stephanie, and while her quirky optimism worked in the first film, here it feels repetitive. Kendrick gives it her all, especially in the film’s few grounded moments, but the script does her no favors. Her character, once a loveable hot mess, is now written like a true crime cliché who somehow remains oblivious in the most dangerous situations.

Blake Lively's Emily is just as cold, glamorous, and chaotic as she was in the first installment, but something feels off. Whether it’s the writing, the tone, or her own discomfort with the role (more on that later), Lively’s performance lacks the sharp edge that made Emily such a magnetic presence before. She looks incredible, delivers a few killer lines, but mostly drifts through the plot like she knows it's beneath her.

Michele Morrone as Dante brings international flair, but his character is more surface than substance—a good-looking mafia type with little development. Henry Golding returns in a brief, forgettable cameo, and supporting players like Allison Janney and Elizabeth Perkins are wasted in underwritten roles that only exist to move the plot from one bizarre twist to another.

The Vibe: A Genre Cocktail That Spills Everywhere

If the first A Simple Favor was a playful take on the domestic thriller, this sequel tries to be too many things at once: mystery, comedy, murder drama, and international crime caper. Director Paul Feig leans into the chaos, but loses control of the tone in the process. The result is a film that’s trying to be stylish and subversive but ends up feeling messy and self-indulgent.

To its credit, the setting of Capri is stunning. From luxury villas to sun-drenched coastlines, the visuals are the movie’s strongest asset. Cinematographer John Schwartzman captures the elegance and extravagance of the Italian wedding scene, making you wish the plot made as much sense as the color palette. But even the glamor wears thin when it’s paired with a story that seems to get more nonsensical by the minute.

This isn’t a slow burn or a fast-paced thriller—it’s a string of jaw-dropping scenes connected by exposition dumps and far-fetched decisions.

The Ending: Triple Twists and One Very Bad Scene

The final act of Another Simple Favor is where everything truly unravels. As betrayals mount and bodies drop, the movie pivots hard into chaos. A hidden sibling subplot is revealed. Multiple fake deaths occur. And then comes the scene everyone is talking about—Emily shares a moment with her long-lost twin (or triplet?) sister, Charity, that goes from tense to disturbingly intimate.

The scene, which includes unwanted physical contact and a kiss, is played for dark humor, but instead it sparked outrage from viewers and even the cast. Blake Lively later described it as “personal torture,” calling out the creative decision as disturbing and unnecessary. The moment feels not only grossly out of place, but completely tone-deaf for a mainstream movie.

Even aside from that, the film’s ending throws every possible twist into the mix, leaving the viewer exhausted. There’s a vague setup for a third movie—God help us—but by then it’s hard to care.

Controversy: When Camp Crosses the Line

Another Simple Favor has become infamous less for its plot and more for the controversy surrounding its incestual subplot. Several outlets, including Page Six and People, called out the scene for being “personal torture” and a “bizarre creative choice” that turned an already unhinged movie into something actively uncomfortable.

Lively’s discomfort was echoed by fans, who took to social media calling the scene “gross,” “tonally broken,” and “not funny, just wrong.” The backlash has overshadowed the rest of the movie, sparking debates about whether shock value can justify creative decisions in campy cinema. In this case, the answer for most viewers is clearly no.

Public Feedback: Polarized to the Max

Critics and audiences are split. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film debuted with a 75% rating, lower than the original’s 84%. Some praised its unapologetic weirdness and vibrant visuals, calling it a “guilty pleasure” or “gloriously unhinged.” Others slammed it as incoherent, morally questionable, and poorly written.

On social media, it’s a mix of memes and rants. TikTok edits highlight the fashion and scenery. Twitter/X is flooded with people calling the plot “unforgivable.” The fanbase that once loved the original's offbeat tone seems divided on whether this sequel is a bold swing or a total miss.

Final Thoughts: A Simple Mistake

Another Simple Favor tries to raise the stakes but ends up drowning in its own excess. What made the first film charming—its blend of mystery, style, and self-aware comedy—is lost in a sequel that goes too far, too fast, and too weird. While Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively do their best with what they’re given, the material fails them at every turn.

It’s not stylish enough to be memorable, not funny enough to be satire, and not smart enough to be thrilling. It’s just… confusing. The Capri visuals are stunning, and there are a few moments of campy fun, but ultimately, Another Simple Favor is a sequel that should’ve been left on the cutting room floor.

Final Rating: ⭐⭐ (2/10)

A messy, controversial, and often absurd sequel that fails to recapture the original’s charm. It’s got glamor and shock value, but no heart, no logic, and no reason to exist.

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