ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR

A sequel to 2018's A SIMPLE FAVOR and director Paul Feig's first sequel doesn't quite capture the magic of its predecessor but it's still a worthy followup. Whereas the original film is based upon a novel of the same name, ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR is an original story continuing the hostile relationship between mothers and besties/former besties Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) and Emily Nelson (Blake Lively). The story follows Stephanie being invited to Emily's wedding in Capri to serve as Emily's maid of honor, which is rather curious judging from the way these characters left each other in the first film. During the wedding events on the Italian island, one of the wedding guests is murdered in their hotel room and Emily must once again uncover who's behind it before she herself could be the next target. Much like another recently released film THE ACCOUNTANT 2, I didn't hear anyone clamoring for a return to this property. And to be completely transparent, I had my reservations about it for 2 reasons: I rather enjoyed the original film and didn't think a sequel would deliver the same quality. In addition Amazon Prime doesn't put out quality products in my humble opinion. So imagine my surprise at how much I enjoyed this film. Stephanie's character has grown since the last time we saw her. She's not the pushover mom she once was, has found her career in solving crimes, and even writes a book about her experience in the first film. Lively is once again the powerhouse character she was the first time around: foul-mouthed, completely unapologetic with a great sense of style. Seriously, whoever's designing this character for both films is most certainly earning their keep. However, I will say the story, while interesting, isn't as tight, smart, or razor thin during its sophomore session. Although there are plenty of humorous one-liners to go around alongside plenty of colorful language. And while I'm not sure there's room here for a trilogy, but if they did proceed with a third story, I'd watch with more anticipation than I did this entry. 6/10