Stephanie Smothers is back, and yes, she’s still a vlogging, cookie-baking, overly curious mum who somehow keeps getting entangled in international-level drama. Another Simple Favor picks up a few years after the first film’s sugar-coated chaos, when Stephanie is dragged back into the glamorous and dangerous orbit of Emily Nelson—the martini-loving, fashion-slaying, questionably-moral mystery woman who just refuses to stay in one time zone (or one personality). This time, the favours are more dangerous, the stakes higher, and the plot twistier… theoretically.
Anna Kendrick continues her reign as Hollywood’s reigning Queen of Awkward Charm. Stephanie is still the human embodiment of a PTA meeting gone rogue, and Kendrick plays her with the right mix of neurotic sweetness and confused courage. Blake Lively? Still walking into scenes like she owns 51% of Chanel. Her Emily is as effortlessly intimidating as ever—equal parts femme fatale and chaotic bisexual icon.
New additions to the cast do their job—some sparkle, some fizzle—but no one steals the show quite like Lively and Kendrick’s dysfunctional chemistry. Their on-screen friendship is like a shaken martini: messy, stylish, and somehow addictive, even if it leaves a weird aftertaste. 
Let’s give credit where it’s due: this movie looks good. The camera lingers lovingly on every couture outfit like it’s filming a Vogue spread. Cinematography? Clean and slick. The colour palette swings between Stepford Wives pastels and noir-ish shadows depending on which woman is holding the plot hostage. The soundtrack is a cheeky mix of retro French pop and noir instrumentals—like someone asked Spotify to create a playlist called Gossip Girl Goes to a Murder Mystery Dinner.
No animation here, but the editing is sharp, if sometimes too eager to look cool. Title cards and scene breaks try very hard to remind you that this is a thriller… with attitude. It’s a lot of aesthetic energy for what is, frankly, a pretty basic soufflé of a film.
Here’s the honest tea: Another Simple Favor tries to replicate the first film’s magic—mixing dark comedy, murder mystery, and mom-blog absurdity—but ends up feeling like a second attempt at a viral video that already peaked. The plot throws a lot at you—mobsters, fake identities, double-crosses—but little of it sticks. It’s like the writers threw plot twists into a blender and hit purée.
The pacing is uneven, especially in the middle where it sags under the weight of its own winks and nods. You can almost hear the script trying to say “aren’t we clever?” every few minutes. The charm of the original came from the unexpectedness—this one feels a bit like it’s checking boxes.
That said, it’s not a total wash. There are moments that genuinely work—snappy dialogue, killer outfits, and the occasional zingy one-liner that earns a real laugh. But overall, the film is more “fashionable filler” than “must-watch thriller.”
