Martini – STREAMING MOVIE NIGHT

2025 Amazon MGM Studios

Rated: R

Length: 2 hr

Comedy ~ Mystery ~ Thriller

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Michele Morrone, Elena Sofia Ricci, Elizabeth Perkins, Alex Newell, and Allison Janney.

Every friendship has its twists.

From Amazon Prime’s Official Website:

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.

From Bobby:

Another Simple Favor picks up five years after A Simple Favor ends. Emily is in prison for the deaths of her sister Faith and her Father. Stephanie has gone from Busy Single Mom Blogger to a True Crime Blogger and Author, with a new book just released about Emily’s case and story. She is about to speak at a book release event in a local Warfield, Connecticut Book shop when guess who walks in……

EMILY!?

Who tells Stephanie and everyone there that she has been released from prison on a technicality and that she is going to get married. AND she wants Stephanie to be her Maid of Honor at the wedding in Capri, Italy. Emily informs Stephanie that if she refuses she will sue her for telling her story and using her likeness on the cover of the book without her permission. Realizing that she has no choice and that it might be good material for another book, Stephanie and her PR agent join Emily on her Fiancé’s Private jet and head to Capri, Italy. Whereas you might expect there are more twists and turns than the first movie.

SO what did I think of Another Simple Favor with Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively? Absolutely Beautiful! What? No, not Anna ….well yes, Anna. Anna Kendrick is Beautiful. But no…..What? Blake? No not Blake…well ok yes Blake is Beautiful but I’m talking about Capri, Italy. Holy Toledo, absolutely beautiful! Oh take me there now and I will never leave….Ok, back to the movie. It is always a hard job to top the original with a sequel. History has never been on the side of the sequel, they usually pale in comparison.

But I thought it was good, I think you have to have seen the first one to appreciate it. It did take some goofy twists and turns but I think the movie had to to stand up to the first and in a sense poke fun at itself. And I love seeing Anna Kendrick in action. It made me wonder at the end if it was setting itself up for a third installment in the franchise when the mother in law says…”I have A Simple Favor to ask….”

Time will tell……….

Streaming On Amazon Prime

(L to R): Detective Summerville (Bashir Salahuddin), Vicky (Alex Newell), Darren (Andrew Rannells), Sona (Aparna Nancherla) and Stacey (Kelly McCormack) in ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR.

(L to R) Emily (Blake LIvely), Dante (Michele Morrone), Vicky (Alex Newell) and Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) in ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR.

Anna Kendrick stars as ‘Stephanie Smothers’ in ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR.

2018 Lionsgate

Rated: R

Length: 1 hr 57min

Comedy ~ Mystery ~ Thriller

Directed by: Paul Feig

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding, and Andrew Rannells.

What happened to Emily?

Anna Kendrick stars as Stephanie Smothers, a widowed mother of a young boy in Warfield, Connecticut. She is a nerdy over-achieving Mom Vlogger with a dark past and secrets to hide. Her son Miles has become good friends with Nicky whose mother is Emily Nelson (Blake Lively). One day as Stephanie is picking up Miles after school, Nicky and Miles express their desire to hang together and have a “Play-date”. Just as Stephanie tells Nicky they can’t because his mom isn’t there to grant permission, Nicky’s mom Emily arrives to pick up Nicky. The boys beg for permission and Emily asks Stephanie if she wants to go to her house for an adult beverage while the kids play.

Stephanie and Emily become good friends and Emily starts asking Stephanie for small favors…..”I have A Small Favor to ask…” starting with watching or picking up her son Nicky because she is very busy with her work. Things progress with Stephanie seeing Miles more than her mother Emily until one day Emily tells Stephanie that she has an emergency trip she must make to Miami for business. Days pass and Stephanie becomes more and more concerned about Emily as she seems to have vanished. Stephanie goes to Emily’s office to find answers and discovers a picture of Emily with the caption “Gotta have Faith”. Sensing a clue, she steals the picture and the mailer that it came in from her office.

Stephanie turns into a private detective and starts investigating Emily’s past and whereabouts and, thanks to a tip from one of her Vlog viewers, uncovers Emily’s dark past. All the while broadcasting her progress on her Vlog. It is interesting how Stephanie in the beginning seems like a nerdy goody two shoes but evolves into a super sleuth with her own dark secrets.

The movie is based on the Novel A Simple Favor by Darcy Bell. I love the twists and turns in this film, ones you never see coming. It is an interesting performance by Anna Kendrick as the nerdy do good single Mom who becomes caught up in the dark and sinister plot involving Emily and her dark past. Blake Lively from the beginning as Emily hints at deeper and darker things to come, you just get the sense there is trouble boiling beneath the surface.

I have seen this movie at least once before, actually I think I did watch it when it first came out and again about two years ago. I watched it last night before I watch Another Simple Favor, the sequel (Now Streaming On Amazon Prime) tonight. I am a couple of days behind given it came out on Thursday but My father ended up in the hospital and threw things off a bit. The good news is he is home and doing well and tonight we get to watch Anna Kendrick in action again!