‘Another Simple Favor’ Director Paul Feig On Reuniting Anna Kendrick with Blake Lively (Video Interview)

Item: ‘Another Simple Favor’ Director Paul Feig On Reuniting Anna Kendrick with Blake Lively (Video Interview)
Author: Edward Douglas

by Edward Douglas

Paul Feig has been directing for film and television for over 25 years, but his real breakout came in 2011 when he directed Bridesmaids. That kicked off a long street of hit comedies, mostly starring Melissa McCarthy. In 2018, Feig directed an adaptation of Darcey Bell’s bestselling novel, A Simple Favor, which explored the unconventional friendship between a suburban Mommy blogger, Stephanie, played by Anna Kendrick, and Blake Lively’s Emily, a glamorous and enigmatic woman who suddenly vanishes. It was a foray into drama and the thriller genre that was very different from Feig’s past filmography, and it actually worked and did well in theaters and then on streaming.

That movie ended with Emily being put in jail for a couple of familial murders, but as its sequel, Another Simple Favor, begins, Stephanie is now a published author and a true-crime expert, as she reencounters Emily, who has gotten out of prison and is getting married in Capri, Italy. Oddly, Emily wants Stephanie to be her maid-of-honor, and Stephanie reluctantly agrees, though she’s on her guard, because she doesn’t trust Emily and for good reason.

As you can see from my video review of the film, Another Simple Favor allows Feig to instill more of the humor for which he’s known into the sequel, with the relationship between Stephanie and Emily being cattier and funnier than before, even as people begin dying around them.

Cinema Daily US recently spoke with Feig about making the sequel, an interview you can watch in the video player above. Another Simple Favor will be streaking on Prime Video starting on Thursday, May 1.

Check out more of CinemaDaily US’ video interviews on our YouTube channel.