Major spoilers ahead for “Another Simple Favor”
Heading into “Another Simple Favor,” there was a pretty major question to consider: why would Stephanie Smothers ever agree to do another favor for Emily Nelson? And now that the film is out, the new question is: could it be Emily’s turn?
Now streaming on Prime Video, the sequel answers that first question pretty quickly. Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) agrees to be part of Emily Nelson’s (Blake Lively) post-prison wedding mostly because of a solid blackmail threat. When Emily crashes Stephanie’s book signing, she makes it clear that Stephanie’s refusal to come would result in not only exposing her secrets, but also suing her for using Emily’s name and likeness without explicit consent.
Lawsuits like that tend to be a real stoplight for books, particularly one that’s already struggling. And so, Stephanie jets off to Capri — literally — to stand up in her former BFF’s wedding. Naturally, chaos and more murder ensues, but at least this time it’s not at the hands of Emily. Though it sure is made to look that way.
It’s at this point that we’ll give you your final warning that spoilers are ahead. Should you wish to remain pure, this is your exit!
Still here? Great. So, in the end, it turns out that Emily’s been acting so erratic because she’s not actually Emily. Remember in the first film, when we learned that Emily was actually a triplet? Hope, Faith and Charity were their real names, and Hope and Faith were always told that Charity was a stillborn.
In reality, Charity was just fine. She was actually kidnapped by her Aunt Linda (Allison Janney), who raised her as her own. Unfortunately, she raised her to be a killer, and brainwashed the girl a little bit.
When Linda learned that Emily was marrying into the Italian mob, she hatched a plan: kidnap the real Emily, install Charity as the new Emily, kill her new husband, inherit the mafia throne and its riches. The problem is, Stephanie is smart and nosy, and Emily has a knack for getting out of danger.
In the end, Linda is killed, and Emily and Stephanie convince Charity to continue pretending to be Emily and take her place in prison. Meanwhile, Stephanie takes over the care of Nicky and the real Emily goes free in Italy. But, in the last few minutes of the film, it’s made clear she’s not entirely free.
Emily’s new mother-in-law Portia (Elena Sofia Ricci) no longer blames Emily, but is still angry about the murder of her son. So, she agrees to keep Emily’s secret, in exchange for — you guessed it — a simple favor. Emily teases back “How simple?” and then, credits roll.
It’s a clear setup for a potential third film in the franchise, but will it actually happen? As of now, nothing has been confirmed. But director Paul Feig is definitely into the idea.
“I think it would be fun, you know?” he told TheWrap. “I mean, we’ve got to write it. I know what the general story is, I do know where I want it to go.”
Feig wouldn’t give up any details of that story, but did tease that “we’re going to stay international” if it happens.
“We’ll see. These characters are fun to take to new places and watch their dynamic change all the time,” he said.
“Another Simple Favor” is now streaming on Prime Video.
