Latest ‘Favor’ request is simply too much to ask
I have a simple favor to ask. Nothing much. Just a desperate plea to stop with the “Simple Favors.” One was more than satisfactory. But two is too much to ask, especially when the consequences are two hours of monotony.
OK, it’s nice that “Another Simple Favor” has migrated to the gorgeous Isle of Capri. Even better that Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively are back to renew their unique brand of frenemy skullduggery. But what sorta worked once, should never have come back for such sloppy seconds, especially when there was no pressing demand.
Yet, here we are, with writer Jessica Sharzer once more looking to catch lightning in a martini shaker, this time abetted by Laeta Kalogridis, the person partly responsible for penning such turkeys as “Alexander” and “White House Down.” And what they’ve concocted is dull, protracted and woefully disappointing.
“Bridesmaids” director Paul Feig endeavors to pump life into their dead-on-arrival tale, which ties itself up in knots trying to explain how Lively’s murderous Emily Nelson finds herself fresh out of prison and engaged to an Italian mobster harboring damaging secrets.
The explanation is so convoluted that it takes nearly 25 minutes of relentless exposition before the plot finally kicks in. When it does, you’ll likely be too bored to care. But it’s comendable that Sharzer and Kalogridis devote some time to bringing folks who missed the original up to speed on how Emily and Kendrick’s Stephanie Smothers became mom friends and drinking buddies before souring on each other when the latter ruined the former’s plot to fake her death and collect a fortune in insurance money. Oh, yeah, Stephanie also had a brief affair with Emily’s husband, Sean (Henry Golding), who makes an extended cameo before departing in true diva style.
The new film, which is streaming on Prime, picks up seven years after the first, with Stephanie reaping the rewards of having written a tell-all book about her experiences with Emily. Stephanie has also traded in her cooking vlog for a true-crime podcast in which she solves such mysteries as that of the “Speedo Pedo,” a disturbing incident involving a swim coach filming his underage athletes.
Emily, meanwhile, has been released from jail on a technicality, allowing her to waltz into Stephanie’s reading of her new book, “The Faceless Blonde,” chronicling the events in the original film. As always, Emily, whose real name is Hope McLanden, looks fabulous, her perfectly sculpted face framed by a thick, luxurious golden mane peeking out from fabulous fashions. She’s come asking for yet another “simple favor”: that Stephanie serve as her maid of honor one week hence on Capri. It’s an offer Stephanie can’t refuse. Plus, it’s all-expenses-paid, courtesy of the gangster groom, Dante (Michele Morrone).
What ensues is as lame as the setup. Everything about it feels cheesy and forced, with dialogue rockier than the island’s jagged coastline. The guest list includes Dante’s dubious madre, Portia (Elena Sofia Ricci); Hope’s bizarro mother, Margaret (Elizabeth Perkins), and aunt, Linda (Allison Janney); and Emily/Hope and Sean’s son, Nicky (Ian Ho). The script awkwardly propels them all through the motions in service of another round of murder and mistaken identity, resulting in Stephanie being left holding the bag.
She’s a suspect in three murders but never spends a second behind bars. Rather, she’s implausibly placed under house arrest inside her lavish hotel suite. Count on her to find a way past the guards and solve the crime, just like she did in the original. But where that one was often funny and clever, this tired retread is crickets when it comes to laughs and intrigue. And the alleged payoff is more stupefying than rewarding. Prepare to roll your disbelieving eyes.
Even Kendrick and Lively seem disengaged, content to cash a large paycheck from Jeff Bezos and move on. Oh, yeah, and spend a financially rewarding working vacation on Capri while we peons look on in envy. So again, I implore, no more “Simple Favors.” You’ve already done quite enough.
Movie review
Another Simple Favor
Rated: R for sexual content, nudity, language throughout, suicide, violence
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Allison Janney and Andrew Rannells
Director: Paul Feig
Writers: Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis
Runtime: 120 minutes
Where: Now streaming on Amazon Prime
Grade: C
