Blake Lively’s ‘Another Simple Favor’ Is Worth Watching Despite the Drama

If you want a break from the Blake Lively/Justin Baldoni legal drama, it’s best to remember how good the former can be with the right material, director, and scene partners there to elevate her. Lively has always been an engaging screen presence, but her work took on new levels when she starred in 2018’s A Simple Favor, a dark comedy mystery thriller that defied expectations by not being what most people thought it would be.

The film allowed Lively to showcase that she could lead a thriller with dramatic tones and navigate all the facets of black comedy. A Simple Favor ended up being a pleasant surprise, and even more surprising was the announcement of a sequel. Nothing about it screamed “it needs a sequel,” but now we have Another Simple Favor, taking the events to Capri, Italy, to remind audiences that Lively is entertaining without the TMZ headlines.

Another Simple Favor takes place five years after the events of the first film. Emily is fresh out of prison and seeking out Stephanie, now a true crime vlogger, to be her maid of honor at her wedding in Capri, Italy, to an Italian businessman whose family has ties to organized crime. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Allison Janney, Jean Smart, Michele Morrone, and more.

Blake Lively Plays to Her Strengths With a Comedic Twist

Both films play into Lively’s stylish lifestyle while allowing her to tap into ways to poke fun at it. When A Simple Favor was released in 2018, some believed it could be a twisted companion piece to her hit TV series Gossip Girl, which saw the actress portraying Serena van der Woodsen, a privileged teenager with her share of privilege issues. Imagine if Serena weren’t constantly tracked by the unknown blogger on the show and were allowed to create a new life. She could easily become Emily, still able to rock designer clothes with the best of them while allowing herself to build up enough confidence to take on a new life under her own control.

However, unlike Serena, Emily allows Lively to demonstrate how funny she can be. Her husband, Ryan Reynolds, has said on several occasions that she has helped him come up with some of the best jokes for the Deadpool films, and that feels highly believable when you see her work her way around the dialogue written by Sharzer (with an assist from Laeta Kalogridis).

It likely helps that Feig, who is no stranger to comedy and directing some of the funniest women in the business, also does his share to allow Lively to play to the strengths the audience didn’t know she had. She’s the one who came up with the infamous “brother f******” line from the first movie, wanting to have a Samuel L. Jackson moment that does stick with fans of the film. She only amplifies the comedy in the sequel, which leans more into the funnier side of things when compared to its predecessor and recalls that joke later in the film to great effect. She’s given some of the best lines in both movies, and, since fans know the world heading into the sequel, she’s given even more chances to portray Emily to a heightened degree, but without turning her into an unbelievable caricature.

Despite comical leanings, both films are fun mysteries, enticing enough for the audience to keep them engaged. A Simple Favor crafts a convincing series of events as the audience follows Stephanie on her journey to discover why Emily disappeared and the following revelations. In the wrong hands, this could all get silly as it’s discovered Emily was once known as Hope McLanden and had a twin sister named Faith, with both girls setting a house fire to kill their abusive father. That’s only half the past drama, and more is revealed with Faith returning, but some of that mystery should be saved for those who haven’t seen the film yet. In all honesty, A Simple Favor is best viewed almost as a satire of mystery thrillers, as it pokes fun at genre conventions in a way that appears to be winking at the audience.

More of this is done in Another Simple Favor, with the sequel going in a bit more on the dark satire of murder mystery conventions, and, in some ways, it’s even better because the sequel is clearly having fun knowing the audience is aware of what kind of films they are now. While watching the sequel, it was hard not to see shades of the Knives Out films in their execution, and the mystery is solid enough to keep you guessing, even if some of it gets a bit silly. The purpose of this is not to take it all seriously and enjoy it for what it is. Even with all the murder and treachery going on in beautiful Capri, Italy, Another Simple Favor is always fun and in on its jokes.

Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick Make an Amazing Pair

Throughout both films, the chemistry between Lively and Kendrick proves to be their biggest asset. They make a solid pair because, from a performance standpoint, they’re both very different. Kendrick’s bubbly “I could be your improv girlfriend” persona has served her well over the years, and her genuine earnestness pairs well with Lively’s commanding turn as Emily. Once they’re on-screen together, their witty banter is infectious, and it feels natural, almost as if Feig has just let these women riff to see if they come up with a better line than the ones featured in the script.

In the first film, their performances had more layers than expected, expertly navigating the drama, thrills, and comedy of the plot without missing a beat. During the scene when Stephanie drunkenly confesses to a past with her brother, both actresses play the moment with a genuine connection that makes the audience believe they could be friends, but it’s soon undercut by Emily’s “brother f*****” joke, turning the scene into a guessing game of whether Emily cares about Stephanie sharing a genuine secret and if Stephanie should trust in her new best friend. By the film’s conclusion, both actresses are toying with the tonal shifts of the film and remain completely on the same page.

Related

‘Another Simple Favor’s Rotten Tomatoes Score Reveals if Blake Lively Has Recovered From ‘It Ends With Us’ Drama

Is Paul Feig’s sequel a hit, or did all that Lively drama rub off on ‘Another Simple Favor?’

Both actresses have even more fun messing with their characters’ relationship history in Another Simple Favor. With all of their cards out on the table (with a few still hidden and to be revealed throughout the film), Lively and Kendrick get to sink their teeth into some hilarious comedic material. The sequel is at its best when both actresses share the screen and make the audience wonder, despite all the lies and deceit, if these two can be friends. These are two people who know these characters well and, despite five years between films, they haven’t missed a beat.

So, instead of deep diving into the latest with Lively and all the woes associated with her It Ends With Us lawsuit, take some time to watch A Simple Favor and Another Simple Favor, a reminder that, before all of these headlines, Lively was an actress first and a part of an ensemble that encouraged the audience to sit back, drink a martini and watch the mystery, thrills, and laughs unfold. A Simple Favor can be streamed on Netflix, while Another Simple Favor is now available to stream on Prime Video.