SXSW: ‘Another Simple Favor’ Gets By On Anna Kendrick

It’s been around seven years since A Simple Favor was released. Helmed by Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, the dark comedy with a hefty serving of mystery quickly became a fan favorite for chaos, mystery, and murder. This time, Another Simple Favor brings audiences back to Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), the smalltown Connecticut true-crime vlogger turned book writer who is now launching a new book all about her time with her former best friend Emily Nelson (Blake Lively).

If you missed the last one, Stephanie slept with Emily’s husband, Sean Townsend (Henry Golding), unraveled her lies (and murder), and became micro-famous because of it. And, of course, Emily got a prison sentence at the same time.  Another Simple Favor, directed and written by Paul Feig and written by Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis, reunites Stephanie and her recently released ex-best friend, Emily, on the island of Capri, Italy.

After interrupting her book signing, Emily ominously invites Stephanie to Italy to celebrate her wedding to a rich Italian businessman, Dante Versano (Michele Morrone), who may or may not have been connected to the mafia (yeah, he is).

On her toes the entire time, Stephanie reluctantly agrees to join the list of glamorous guests, so long as she can bring her assistant Vicky (Alex Newell) just in case there’s any revenge plotted while in Capri. Embracing more of the mystery element, Another Simple Favor offers murders, betrayal, and a whole slew of twists and turns that just won’t quit once the wedding festivities kick off.

Another Simple Favor is at its best when Anna Kendrick is on screen.

Anna Kendrick is, yet again, the MVP of the film. As Stephanie, her brand of catty humor and incisive attention to her surroundings is a joy on screen. Add in Kendrick’s ability to handle situational comedy, and she is the best part of Another Simple Favor (although Henry Golding’s venom as Sean is a close second).

The film’s successes come from Stephanie’s dedication to the bit and ultimately never letting her guard entirely down with Emily. Stephanie never stops assuming that something terrible will happen, and in doing that, she stops being placed in the trope of a capable character turned one that can’t stop making dumb decisions. Instead, the comedy of errors keeps happening as she tries to navigate the situation, find safety, and make it back home from Capri while running from the mob and the authorities to clear her name.

Another Simple Favor also develops Stephanie’s life since the first movie, how she continued to track and solve crimes, a shocking moment that made her stop, and how her true crime sleuthing has impacted her son’s life. That said, this thread in the film feels like it exists to add more information. The exposition dumps are done through

Reviewing Another Simple Favor is difficult because the film’s final act has twist after twist. Every time the audience or Stephanie begins to think they know what’s happening, it changes. Filled with misdirections, Emily’s life and family are far deeper and darker than we’ve seen so far. Exploring it through her previous identities and her twin through Hope and Faith and her extended family is convoluted, to say the least. Working through Emily’s family tree feels like the most uninspired choice of the entire film.

Blake Lively can’t manage to be as compelling as those around her.

It’s not just Emily’s family and marriage that’s uninspired, but Blake Lively fails to live up to the expectations of her eccentricities or her ostentatious wardrobe. It’s an achievement to wind up as a boring character when everything in the script, costuming, and situations should make you a focal point. In the first film, Emily’s oscillation between detachment and obsession is charismatic.

But in Another Simple Favor, Lively fails to bring any genuine emotion into her acting. Her anger feels hollow, her cattiness declawed, and ultimately, her presence underwhelming even when she shows up in eccentric outfits. This is even more evident when she is surrounded by actresses like Elena Sofia Ricci as Dante’s mother, Porsha Versano, Allison Janney as Emily’s aunt, Linda, or Elizabeth Perkins as Emily’s confused and possibly overly medicated mother, Margaret McLinden.

Ultimately, Another Simple Favors offers its biting humor in small but fun doses, and it plots a confusing but mostly dynamic mystery. It is eventually failed by how hollow Emily’s experience, background, and personality are. Another Simple Favor struggles to do the most despite coming off as overstuffed at the same time. Still, Anna Kendrick manages to mostly right the ship.

Another Simple Favor was screened as a part of the 2025 SXSW Film Festival and will stream on Prime Video.