Despite being sent to jail at the end of the last movie, Emily is back … and getting married again! Her new husband is Italian old money, so both of them are off to Capri with Stephanie as the (blackmailed) maid of honor. Stephanie has obvious reservations about attending but Emily claims that’s all in the past, yet it’s only a matter of time before things start to look strange, and people start dropping dead.
I won’t lie that I went into this with pretty tapered expectations. I enjoyed A Simple Favor, but this is an unnecessary sequel. This movie surprised me though, and did a good job holding its own. The chemistry between Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively is still fantastic, and their playing off each other are some of the film’s strongest scenes. Don’t expect the intrigue and twists of the original, but this one does what it needs to do to be a fun romp and a satisfactory follow-up.
We also get some new faces on the cast, including Michele Morrone (who sickos will recognize from the 365 Days movies) and heavy-hitter Allison Janney. Neither are at their best, but they’re both a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed seeing Janney play something super outside her typical dry delivery CJ Craig roles. Did it totally work? No, but it was a good time.
I will say that the whodunnit twist really didn’t do it for me. It was less of an “oh right!” and more of an “oh, that’s it?” Without spoiling it, I think that those who enjoyed the Easter eggs and spoon feeding of information from the first movie will be disappointed by the reveal. It kind of just happens, and it’s not something that’s foreshadowed or totally makes sense to the plot. Some of the writing is also pretty hammy, but I’m more forgiving towards that because this movie never takes itself too seriously. It knows exactly how stupid it is, and that kind of makes me love it.
Overall, it’s worth watching if you enjoyed the first one. Stephanie is still a fun quippy detective, and Emily is still a bitchy yet occasionally warm it-girl. The entire tone is much more tongue-in-cheek, but I think that really holds it together. The references to the original feel natural and not forced, and I found myself glad they made a sequel. The outfits though, were hideous (and I loved them too).
