Summary
A Simple Favor 2is on the way, and though I’m thrilled, I’m not sure how the coming sequel will handle its significant disadvantage compared to the original film. Given the success of 2018’sA Simple Favor, it’s no surprise that a sequel with the returning Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick was confirmed rather quickly. The film was a spectacular and hilarious genre-bending mystery with a sort of outrageous comedy that struck a chord with audiences. However, as a project that depends greatly on big surprises,A Simple Favor 2may have difficulty duplicating its predecessor’s success.
A Simple Favorfollowed mommy-vlogger and widow Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) as she made friends with the highly sophisticated Emily Nelson (Lively). Of course, nothing turned out as expected, and by the end of the 2018 film, Stephanie was a mommy-detective-vlogger while Emily served a 20-year prison sentence for murder. It will be interesting to see howA Simply Favor 2continues this story, especially sincestar Henry Golding has teasedthat the script is “so much more bananas.” However,I have a hard time imagining how the coming sequel will pull this off.
A Simple Favor 2: Release Date, Cast, Story, Trailer & Everything We Know About Another Simple Favor
Director Paul Feig’s blend of mystery and comedy A Simple Favor was a sleeper hit in 2018, and now a sequel has officially been confirmed.
The First A Simple Favor Used Its Own Genre As A Plot Twist
A Simple Favor Completely Changed Gears Before The End
GivenA Simple Favor’s outrageous twists and turns, Golding’s tease that the sequel will be even more crazy has me intrigued and a little worried. The original movie was certainly “bananas,” but it used its own genre to ease audiences in.Stephanie’s story started as a sort of noir thriller but transitioned into a black comedy as things progressed, introducing outrageous element after outrageous element before the entire plot exploded into chaos. While there were several traditional plot twists, the fact thatA Simple Favor’s endingessentially trolled audiences was its crowning achievement.
While there were several traditional plot twists, the fact that A Simple Favor’s ending essentially trolled audiences was its crowning achievement.
I admit that I was among those who didn’t look too deeply intoA Simple Favorbefore watching it. I saw the trailer, which made the movie look like a traditional thriller through and through, and then headed to theaters, where I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.The big genre twist was the perfect way to take a somewhat stale formula and turn it on its head, ensuring that even if audiences figured out the mystery, they were still going to be thoroughly entertained. WhileASimple Favor 2can duplicate this twist to an extent, the sequel has lost the element of surprise.
Audiences Will Already Know That A Simple Favor 2 Is A Comedy
It Will Be Harder To Trick Audiences This Time Around
A Simple Favorwas a steady crescendo from traditional thriller to outrageous comedy. By the end, all hell had broken loose, allowing the film to finish on the highest of notes. I assumeA Simple Favor 2will start this process over, returning to the more subdued mood of the original’s beginning before again escalating into the “bananas” comedy that it has been teased to be. The only problem is that this same trick won’t work twice. Audiences who already sawA Simple Favorwill know thatA Simple Favor 2isn’t a thriller, which means the steady shift won’t have the same impact.
The alternative option would be forA Simple Favor2to pick up the tone precisely as it was left off. The end ofA Simple Favorwas all chaos—the volume was turned up to max, and the illusion was broken entirely. If the sequel started here and turned the weirdness up even higher, then it makes sense that Golding would say thatA Simple Favor 2is “so much more bananas.” However, my concern is that,without the nuanced comedy of the original movie’s genre-bending twist, the upcoming movie just won’t have the same sort of impact.
There is currently no release date forA Simple Favor 2, though filming wrapped during the first half of 2024.
A Simple Favor 2 Will Have To Balance Out The “Weird”
A Simple Favor 2 Can’t Just Be All Bananas Comedy
As exciting as it is to hear thatA Simple Favor 2will be even wilder than the original movie, I’m concerned that it will no longer have the means to find balance. There are plenty of outrageous comedies out there, butA Simple Favorhad found the cleverest way to add nuance to the chaos. I hope the sequel won’t only focus on cranking things up even higher but also find ways to surprise audiences further by using their expectations against them.Kendrick and Livelyare sure to be excellent, but the pressure really falls on the writers on this one.
I hope the sequel won’t only focus on cranking things up even higher but also find ways to surprise audiences further by using their expectations against them.
WhileI’m not sure howA Simple Favor 2will manage to surprise audiences a second time, I certainly hope that the writers wouldn’t have pursued a sequel if there wasn’t a really great idea handy. These were some fun characters who were genre-bending by nature, so seeing them return will be fun, one way or another. Still, when I head to theaters to watchA Simple Favor2, I expect a surprising twist to top the last one. Only time will tell if the movie can possibly deliver.
Another Simple Favor
Cast
Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) reunite on the beautiful island of Capri, Italy, for Emily’s extravagant wedding to a rich Italian businessman. Along with the glamorous guests, expect murder and betrayal to RSVP for a wedding with more twists and turns than the road from the Marina Grande to the Capri town square.
