This 2018 Blake Lively Comedy Is Getting A Second Life On Netflix
Blake Lively's comedy-thriller "A Simple Favor" is making waves on Netflix — roughly six years after it was first released in theaters.
Directed by Paul Feig and based on the novel of the same name by Darcy Bell, "A Simple Favor" tells the story of two mothers, Emily Nelson (Lively) and Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick), whose two young sons are the same age but who couldn't be more different as mothers. While Stephanie is a homemaker and "mommy vlogger" who makes videos teaching viewers how to make gluten-free cookies, Emily works for a fashion mogul, is constantly dressed in high-end designer clothing, and is much more hands-off as a parent (while still loving her son dearly). When Emily disappears, Stephanie and Emily's husband Sean (Henry Golding, "Crazy Rich Asians") are deeply concerned ... but also strike up a relationship, at which point they realize Emily may be watching them.
This funny, wild, and wonderfully campy comedy-thriller is lighting up the Netflix charts, and it's no surprise as to why. Jessica Sharzer's snappy script, the impeccable costume design — Lively's Emily exclusively wears red-soled Christian Louboutin shoes and crisp suits inspired by Feig's real-life apparel — and the dynamic between Lively and Kendrick all work together to create a truly twisty, turny ride, so it makes perfect sense that audiences are seeking it out after all these years. Plus, a sequel is on its way ... so maybe fans are gearing up for the second installment.
A Simple Favor is getting a sequel
After Emily goes missing in "A Simple Favor," the film kicks into hyperdrive as Stephanie and Sean start living together and Emily, who staged her own disappearance with the unwitting help of her twin sister (also played by Lively, albeit briefly), grows increasingly resentful of Sean's betrayal. As she eventually reveals, Emily's disappearance was actually a life insurance scam that she and Sean planned together, but Sean is no longer playing along, so Emily sets her sights on both her friend and husband ... until Stephanie manages to trick her into confessing on camera. At the end of the film, Emily is positively thriving in prison, Stephanie is just fine and works part-time as a private investigator, and Sean finally publishes a follow-up novel to his hit debut effort. Now that we know a sequel is coming, what can fans expect?
Filming officially began in Italy quite recently, and a piece about the sequel in People Magazine says the film features the "return of Stephanie Smothers and Emily Nelson as they head to 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." Fans of the first film — or those catching it on Netflix now for the first time — will definitely want to check out the sequel whenever it releases, and pair either film with Emily's drink of choice: an ice-cold, dry martini with a twist.
"A Simple Favor" is streaming on Netflix now.