As the 2025 movie schedule begins to kick into high gear, reactions to Another Simple Favor are starting to arrive. The movie premiered at the Texas-based film festival, South by Southwest (SXSW) over the weekend, and pundits seem mixed on the Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick-led sequel thus far. All the while, Lively highlighted a thrilling curveball in the film, and it has me even more excited to eventually stream it with a Prime subscription.
With Another Simple Favor's debut at SXSW, the cast and crew interacted with both fans and the press. (It was during that time that Anna Kendrick's awkward take on working with Blake Lively was captured.) The cast and crew, including director Paul Feig, also participated in a panel discussion. As part of that chat, Lively recalled being nervous while making the OG film due to being unsure of the genre it belonged to. Via the LA Times, Lively explained how her fears were put to rest:
I was really nervous on the first one because we didn’t know if we were making a drama or a comedy. And when we asked Paul, he said ‘Yes,’ which is not really an answer to the question. But it worked out. So I was like, ‘OK, no nerves. I know what I’m doing this time.’
Oddly, as a fan of Paul Feig's past productions (who's still not over Freaks and Geeks' swift demise), it’s not surprising he didn’t outright explain what camp the movie fell into genre-wise. 2018's A Simple Favor (which is streamable with a Netflix subscription) tows the line well between dishing out Feig's signature brand of humor and exuding plenty of mystery to keep viewers guessing. It's possible that keeping the two stars in the dark a bit helped contribute to the comical-ish vibe the movie gives off.
The Age of Adaline alum then went on to talk about reuniting with her collaborators for the sequel. It was at this point that she revealed that her director had yet another trick up his sleeve via a great twist. Don't worry, there are no major spoilers here, but the actress did divulge what it was like watching the twist play out during the screening:
And then right before shooting he said, ‘I have a little bit of a curveball idea. It definitely upped the ante’. It was very uncomfortable to watch in the theater with you guys.
The vague, but telling, take from the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants star has me so curious and eager to watch the upcoming movie when it becomes streamable on May 1. Considering how the star felt watching Another Simple Favor’s unexpected turn or reveal alongside a live audience makes me think fans are in for something heartbreaking and/or more intense than what went down in the first film. That's both an exciting and daunting prospect, to be honest. Regardless of what it actually might be, though, the knowledge that the star apparently felt uneasy while seeing it with others has me dying to know what goes down!
Chances are Paul Feig and co. have more than a few surprises in store for viewers when it comes to Another Simple Favor. Even if the film doesn't reach the heights of its predecessor, I'm hopeful that Feig, Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick were able to make a movie that's still very entertaining. Now, I'll just have to wait patiently to watch it and, in the meantime, I'll surely be speculating about the twist.
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