Unraveling the Shocking Secrets of ‘A Simple Favor’ Before the Sequel Drops!

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The fashionable black comedy titled A Simple Favor, directed by Paul Feig, first hit screens in 2018. It featured Blake Lively, Anna Kendrick, and Henry Golding in the lead roles. Adapted from a novel with the same name published in 2017, the thrilling narrative unfolds around a mother who runs a vlog, who develops an unusual and ominous bond with a stylish businesswoman. This friendship takes an unexpected turn when the latter mysteriously vanishes, causing everything to spiral out of control.

The initial film, which proved successful at the box office, has since gained popularity on Netflix as a streaming sensation. It has now been confirmed that the camp thriller will be back in “Another Simple Favor”, a forthcoming sequel set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on May 1, 2025. Given the original “A Simple Favor” is brimming with surprises and plot twists, here’s an official rundown of crucial details to refresh your memory before the sequel arrives.

Setting a (Not So) Simple Scene

Stephanie Smothers (Kendrick), a cautious single mom residing in Connecticut with her son Miles, maintains a vlog channel offering guidance to fellow mothers. In an unexpected turn of events at Miles’ school, where Stephanie is often excluded by other parents for being overly involved, she strikes up a friendship with the enigmatic Emily Nelson (Lively).

When Nicky, Miles and Emily’s son, desires a playdate, Stephanie is extended an invitation to visit Emily at her home. Emily, a highly accomplished public relations director, seems to lead a picture-perfect life, boasting a spacious, lavish residence and a charming spouse named Sean (Golding). During their martini chat, Stephanie and Emily engage in hearty conversation. It doesn’t take long (or many beverages) for Stephanie to divulge the initial shocking revelation of the film: She confides in Emily that she once had a sexual encounter with her half-brother, following their father’s funeral.

Not long after establishing their new friendship, Emily reaches out to Stephanie with a humble inquiry for a small favor. In essence, she’s asking if Stephanie could look after Nicky for a short while as Emily has to deal with an unexpected work crisis and Sean is away on a trip. Emily hesitates briefly before the few hours stretch into several days. Eventually, Stephanie feels compelled to share this situation with Sean. Sean responds that this seems very much like something Emily would do.

Emily’s Body Is Found/Brother Nature

Sean and Stephanie embarked on a search for Emily, only to encounter a heart-wrenching turn of events: they found her lifeless body submerged in a lake at a summer camp in Michigan. The authorities later disclosed that Emily had overdosed on heroin, also displaying severe liver issues. In an unexpected twist, Stephanie learns that Sean had purchased a substantial life insurance policy for Emily just a few months prior. It seems their financial struggles were more profound than initially apparent. Despite the turmoil, propelled by their sorrow,
Stephanie takes on the responsibility of caring for both Miles and Nicky.

Following this incident, Stephanie began receiving menacing messages which she believed were from Emily. Nicky asserted that he had spotted Emily at school. The unsettling specter of Emily stirred up Stephanie’s guilt about her past, causing it to surface. This revelation sheds light on what truly transpired between Stephanie and her brother. It was suspected by her husband that he was the biological father of Miles and their secret lover. As a result, in a tragic turn of events, her husband accidentally struck and killed both himself and Stephanie’s brother, leaving them both dead on impact.

Is Emily Dead? (No, Times Three!)

Stephanie is now more resolved than ever to show that Emily is indeed alive. She manages to locate an ex-lover of Emily’s, Diana (Linda Cardellini), by discovering a nude portrait of her in Emily’s home. Diana clarifies that the person known as Emily isn’t really Emily, but Claudia. She has personal experience with Claudia as a well-known imposter who once caused her heartache. Furthermore, Diana shares a crucial detail: Claudia was actually a triplet biologically.

Originally named Hope, she was sister to Faith and Charity. Stephanie recently paid a visit to Faith/Hope/Claudia’s mom (Jean Smart), who inadvertently disclosed an unsettling fact: Faith and Hope had set fire to their childhood home, which tragically claimed the life of their abusive father. The sisters managed to flee from the blaze with a promise to reunite someday; however, it was only Hope who returned as scheduled, while Faith failed to appear.

Later on, Faith resurfaced after many years, presenting a menace: she threatened to report Hope for patricide unless she was paid $1 million. Instead, Hope/Emily drowned Faith in the lake where they used to spend their summers at camp and the police mistakenly identified her body as Emily’s.

Stephanie and Sean vs Emily and Sean vs Stephanie and Emily

While Stephanie is busy investigating something, Emily decides to resurface in the life of Sean. Emily intends to claim insurance money and leave the country after that. She attempts to charm Sean, but it’s unclear if he will stand by Emily or Stephanie. Emily convinces Stephanie to set Sean up for a murder charge related to Emily’s death. He is quickly granted bail, but things soon become quite complicated.

Stephanie changes teams once more, teaming up with Sean, and they conspire together on a scheme. They pretend to argue, hoping it will persuade Emily to admit her wrongdoings on tape. They act out this scenario in Emily and Sean’s home, with Emily present, where Stephanie simulates shooting Sean (bear with me, things get more intricate). However, Emily realizes the deception straight away. In response, Emily reveals all the hidden microphones she has found and dismantled, a gun, and then openly admits to all her misdeeds.

Emily informs them that she intends to enact Stephanie and Sean’s murder-suicide scenario now. She fires at Sean, however, as she prepares to shoot Stephanie, Stephanie unexpectedly discloses that she has been live-streaming everything on her mommy vlog the entire time (implying that Emily’s confession was recorded). In a bid to escape, Emily is struck by a car belonging to another school parent (Andrew Rannells). Ultimately, Emily is taken into custody.

Where Does That Leave Emily and Stephanie?

In the closing scenes of “A Simple Favor,” I found myself witnessing Emily thriving within the confines of her prison, serving a 20-year term for the tragic act of taking her father and sister’s lives. Meanwhile, Sean has ascended to the role of professor at Berkeley, and his bond with Nicky seems stronger than ever.

Interestingly, Stephanie’s vlog, fueled by the intrigue surrounding a disappearance and a murder confession that unfolded on her channel, has now amassed an impressive following exceeding a million subscribers. On top of this, she’s ventured into the world of private investigation, taking up cold cases as a side business. Quite the dynamic turn of events!

The movie “A Simple Favor” races along at a rapid pace and is quite a lot to take in, so it’s hard to say what might happen next in “Another Simple Favor”. Right now, you can catch “A Simple Favor” on Netflix.

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2025-02-27 05:02