Warning: massive spoilers for Another Simple Favor are about to be liberally poured.
It’s starting to really feel like summer in some parts of the world. There’s nothing like a cold drink in your hand, a blessed event to celebrate, and a trail of dead bodies potentially triggering a mob war. All this and more is offered in director Paul Feig’s 2025 movie schedule, offering Another Simple Favor, and the end result is a cliffhanger so twisted, I need to see more.
Naturally, this means we’ll need to talk big time spoilers involving Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and a handful of other cast members involved in this Prime Video subscription booster. So if you’re looking to learn more without spoiling the surprises, you can check out our Another Simple Favor review elsewhere.
But for the rest of you fake true crime fiends out there, let’s pour ourselves a martini, and get into what I think happened - and where it could lead!
Another Simple Favor Ends With A Massive Cliffhanger, And I Think I Know What It Means
Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) has once again journeyed through hell at the hands of her own family. As it turns out, the woman also known as Hope McLanden had a secret triplet named Chastity (Lively), who, with their aunt Linda (Allison Janney), went on a murder spree during her destination wedding in Capri.
When all is said and done, Chastity was responsible for killing ex-husband Sean (Henry Golding) and new beau Dante Versano (Michele Morrone); while Linda ices her sister/mother to triplets Margaret (Elizabeth Perkins). That last murder was in order to adjust to Charity going off script by disposing of Emily’s angry ex-husband, as Dante was always the sole intended target.
With that fun new family member going to jail in the place of “Emily,” Hope could be considered a free woman. That is, until this final ask from her mother-in-law, Portia Versano (Elena Sofia Ricci), transpired:
I will keep your secret. … But my son is still dead because of you. However, I consider you to be part of the family now. And I expect a lot from family. So, because of this, I have a simple favor to ask of you.
With that request, Portia passes a piece of paper to Hope, and we never see or hear what’s on it. All that follows is the ladies clinking glasses, right before we cut to credits. That being said, I think Another Simple Favor ends with Portia Versano making Emily Nelson swear to kill her latest adversary, keeping this latest round of murder in the family. And to connect the dots, we have to walk through the wilderness of mirrors that preceded this finale.
The McLanden Family Mess Directly Led To Dante’s Death
As it turns out, all three of the triplets born to Margaret McLanden (Elizabeth Perkins) survived! Hope (our current antihero), Faith (the sister killed in A Simple Favor’s twisted ending), and Charity were all born happy and healthy. That third baby was apparently hidden by good old Auntie Linda from day one, thanks to some creative lying.
With Linda telling Margaret that Charity died in childbirth, Another Simple Favor’s big bad took an opportunity to raise a little bundle of joy of her own - all in the name of the con. Look, fineries like Blake Lively's pizza purse are expensive, and some people really like that sort of thing.
Not Charity, though. Sheltered beyond belief, to the point where she has an unhealthy sexual obsession with her triplet, all that third McLanden wants is to be with Hope forever. Hence, the double homicide of the men in Emily’s life, so she can keep her all to herself! And somehow…she survived this betrayal.
Another Simple Favor’s Third Act Twists Show That Hope Actually Has A Heart
Despite being set up as the woman we all love to hate, the person known to the world as Emily Nelson found herself doing something sweet in this seductive sequel. Admitted in her own confession to Stephanie, Hope/Emily shares that her marriage to Dante Versano was a cover for his relationship with a member of a rival family: Matteo Bartolo (Lorenzo de Moor).
This “small, beautiful thing in this fucked up world” was done to avoid a mob war, in exchange for an old friend helping Emily/Hope get out of prison. But even with all of that compromised by her sister fucker/stalker Charity, Another Simple Favor’s head bitch in charge took pity. Knowing the horrific things that she went through, and seeing a way to tie up loose ends yet again, Hope doesn’t kill Charity.
She just has her arrested in her place, which some might think is an elegant solution to the problem. However, that does leave two dangling threads that Portia Versano is probably looking to tie up. And what better way than to ask Hope to finish the job with Charity, so as to cover up this whole incident, while getting revenge against Dante’s killer?
A Third Simple Favor Movie Could Offer The Perfect Twist For Stephanie
We’ve been talking a lot about what Another Simple Favor may have done for Hope McLanden’s future. However, she’s only the Moriarty to this potential franchise’s Holmes, true-crime vlogger turned author Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick). So if we’re really going to have a ballgame here, we need a reason to bring Stephanie into the picture, and there’s a perfect three-quel worthy twist that’s sitting in plain sight.
If we’re going to see A Simple Favor 3 take place, Stephanie is more than likely going to have to break bad. While Hope/Emily will naturally do the dirty work, Ms. Kendrick’s astute crime solver will be needed to plot out this potential murder in such a way that both parties would get away with the results.
Considering Blake Lively's recent post of support for Anna Kendrick, that looks like a good possibility. At least, that's if this supposed debunking of the alleged Lively/Kendrick feud holds up between now and when/if a potential sequel is pitched.
It’s not exactly the kind of story that allows its author to go to print unless some sort of unforeseen twist puts Stephanie so in the clear she can write without fear of incrimination. But maybe that’s the best gift that Blake Lively’s anti-hero could give her dear companion: a chance to live the adventure, rather than just document it. Did anyone else just hear the clink of cocktail glasses, or was that just me?
Should you have answered “yes,” you’ve probably just seen Another Simple Favor. But if you’ve somehow read this rundown without hitting “Play,” that’s alright. There’s plenty of stylish murder and mayhem awaiting you on Prime Video, as that brand new sequel is now streaming for your pleasure.
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