'Another Simple Favour' Review: Another Scandalous Success
- Seb Jenkins
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
By Seb Jenkins - April 17, 2025
Paul Feig takes his star-studded cast – led by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively - to the beautiful Capri for more mystery, murder, and high fashion.
A Simple Favour was never a film that screamed ‘sequel’, especially seven years on from its initial release. However, a rise to Netflix fame during the COVID years has eventually led Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Lively) back to our screens – and we are all the better for it. True crime dressed in scandalous twists and iconic pantsuits; A Simple Favour thrived in its seriously unserious take on the genre. Another Simple Favour is somehow even more electrifying than its predecessor, with a charming blend of wit, wicked, and downright salivating silliness. Strap in as Poirot meets Mumsnet… Another Simple Favour… another barrel of fun!
The second film picks up a number of years after the events of the first. Emily is in prison serving a 20-year sentence for the double murder of her father and twin sister. Sean – now a single parent looking after young Nicky – has hit the bottle in a big way. Stephanie is a successful amateur sleuth, solving over 30 cold cases, and her book detailing the events of A Simple Favour is on tour. While attending a book reading in her hometown, Stephanie’s extract is interrupted by none other than the murderous Emily herself – apparently out of prison early thanks to her new finances ‘connections’. Only, the fashionista insists she is not looking for revenge but instead a new maid of honour – with Stephanie in mind.
The two dysfunctional best friends soon slip back into their cat-and-mouse routine but there’s just one problem, Stephanie can’t shake the feeling that she has been like a lamb to slaughter. Of course, she brings along her selfie stick to film the entire event to her army of Mummy followers, but the emergence of mafia and murder on Emily’s wedding day throws everything off course. As she slips back into her detective hat, Stephanie can’t help but feel that not everything is as it seems. And… cue the capers, escapades, and bloody hijinks!
Paul Feig is a master of his craft. Give him a White Lotus-worthy setting and a cast of talented superstars, and he will work his witty magic. Bridesmaids, Spy, The Office, Parks and Recreation, Arrested Development – you can add Another Simple Favour to his back catalogue of delicious directing projects. All the key themes that shone through in the original film also take centre stage in Capri – potty plot twists, addictive eccentricity, and true crime parodies in all the right places.
They may have their rumoured off-screen difficulties, but Kendrick and Lively are electric once the camera starts rolling, while Henry Golding is scene-stealing as the perennially drunk Sean Townsend. Throw a sprinkling of Allison Janney and Elena Sofia Ricci into the mix and you have the makings of something special. As Feig, Kendric, and Lively all said on stage at the multimedia screening in London this week – Another Simple Favour is brilliantly barmy from start to finish.
A huge round of applause is also deserved for costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus who somehow exceeds her own iconic level of work from the first film. Emily Nelson’s outfits are so full of unapologetic personality that they become main characters in themselves. If you
thought the pantsuits from A Simple Favour were something special, you’ve seen nothing yet!
If you are looking for a clever crime thriller with high-brow twists and an Oscar-worthy script, allow us to grant you a simple favour – this isn’t for you. However, if you are looking for a perfect way to kill two hours with a film that leaves blood up the walls and a smile on your face – Another Simple Favour does the trick. It’s not easy to find the perfect blend between silly and substance, but Feig and co walk the tightrope expertly with a knife in one hand and a clown horn in the other.
Another Simple Favour releases on Prime Video May 1
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