Warning: Major spoilers ahead for “Another Simple Favor.”
Blake Lively and Anna Kendrick are back for Paul Feig’s “A Simple Favor” sequel, which features more biting one-liners, a picturesque setting, and, of course, martinis.
“Another Simple Favor” takes place five years after mom vlogger Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick) exposed Emily Nelson’s (Lively) past and got her sentenced to 20 years in prison. Thanks to some high-powered lawyers, Emily is out of prison on parole and has another simple favor to ask Stephanie: will she be her maid of honor at her wedding in Capri?
Concerned that this is an elaborate ruse to ensnare her and get revenge, Stephanie reluctantly agrees, hoping to find out what Emily is really up to.
Here’s what to know about the movie’s twists and turns, and how it culminates in a final scene that teases a possible third “Simple Favor” movie.
Emily’s identical sister, Charity, is revealed to be alive and part of a con
One of the major twists in the first film is that Emily, whose real name is Hope McLanden, is a triplet. Emily stages her death by drowning her sister, Faith, in a lake to collect the life insurance money and start a new life. Meanwhile, the third sibling, Charity, is believed to have been stillborn.
But as it turns out, Charity is alive — and central to the events of “Another Simple Favor.”
Aunt Linda (Allison Janney) delivered Margaret’s (Elizabeth Perkins) triplets, and when Charity seemingly emerged stillborn, Linda whisked the baby away before Margaret could see her. Linda then raised Charity herself and roped her into her cons as she grew up.
Emily, meanwhile, didn’t know that Charity survived until her long-lost sister showed up in Capri as part of Linda’s latest scheme.
Linda knew another one of Emily’s secrets from her past and wanted to blackmail her and her mafia boss fiancé, Dante Versano (Michele Morrone), for $20 million.
It’s revealed that Dante was in a secret 15-year relationship with Matteo Bartolo (Lorenzo de Moor), who was part of a rival mob. He married Emily so that he could maintain his cover and prevent a mob war.
Charity assisted Linda by killing Emily’s ex-husband Sean Townsend (Henry Golding). Then, Charity drugged Emily and posed as her at the wedding. About an hour after the ceremony, Emily shot Dante and killed him.
With him out of the picture, Linda wanted Charity to pose as Emily, take his place at the head of the family, and ensure Linda was set for life financially.
In the movie’s climatic scene, Stephanie and Emily rush to a popular cliff in Capri, where Linda and Charity are holding Nicky (Ian Ho), Emily and Sean’s son, hostage.
But Charity, who’s in love with Emily and believes they’re soulmates who are meant to live together forever, doesn’t want to kill her sister. So, Linda pulls the gun on Emily and Stephanie. Then, Nicky hits Linda with his drone and Charity shoots her before shoving her off the cliff to her death.
Charity then pulls the gun on Stephanie, and Emily kisses her sister to distract her enough so Stephanie can sneakily take the weapon out of her hand.
Afterward, “Emily” (who’s actually Charity) is convicted and ordered to serve multiple life sentences for the murders of Sean and Dante.
‘Another Simple Favor’ ends with Emily agreeing to do a favor for someone else
After the events in Italy, Stephanie returns to her life in the suburbs and appears on CNN to talk to real-life news anchor Jake Tapper about her latest best-selling book, “Dying for Love: A Killer in Capri.”
While taking care of Nicky and her son Miles (Joshua Satine), Stephanie gets a call from Emily, who’s in hiding because the world thinks she’s locked up in prison for life.
Emily asks Stephanie for a “simple favor for old time’s sake” — raise her son Nicky well until the next time she sees him.
Emily is shown sitting near the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome with a glass in hand. She’s approached by Dante’s mom, Portia (Elena Sofia Ricci), who says that she knows what Emily did. Portia says that deep down, she knew Emily wouldn’t hurt Dante, and she’ll keep her secret. In response, Emily says that Dante was a good friend and she loved him.
But Portia reminds Emily that Dante is dead because of her. Now that Emily is part of her family, she expects a lot from her in return. Portia pulls a small white envelope out of her purse and tells Emily she has a simple favor to ask.
“How simple?” Emily asks, accepting the envelope.
The movie ends with them clinking glasses, leaving fans with a cliffhanger.
A sequel hasn’t been officially announced yet, but Feig isn’t ruling it out.
“It would be fun,” he told Variety in March. “We’re definitely set up for one. There’s more fun stuff to be done with these characters.”
“Another Simple Favor” is streaming on Prime Video.
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