2025 - ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR, late out of the gate sequel

The first film, A Simple Favor was an entertaining comedy/mystery with Anna Kendrick as a lifestyle vlogger who gets mixed up with and matches wits with a flamboyant woman (who dresses flamboyantly) played by Blake Lively.  Murder, attempted murder and insurance fraud all result with ordinary middle class mom Kendrick getting the upper hand with Lively and sending her to prison.  The film was an entertaining Hitchcock like thriller.

Seven years later this nobody asked for it sequel arrives with actors from the original cast recreating their roles from the first film.   In this film, the Blake Lively character is out of prison and getting ready to be married to a rich member of the Mafia (don't ask how this happened) in Sicily.  The Lively character persuades Kendrick to attend her wedding and be her maid of honor (ridiculously improbable).  Once again murder ensures with the viewer and the Kendrick character having to figure out what exactly is going on this time.

 

Another Simple Favor is to put it mildly a mess.   The convoluted plot turns and the foolish and at times unbelievable shenanigans of the characters finally defeat the film which clearly wanted to be in the tradition of the Hitchcock "beautiful people, beautiful places" formula. The last part of this film ends in a series of ridiculous scenes that would strain the most mediocre Agatha Christie story.

With the exception of Anna Kenderick who almost holds this mess together, it's completely forgettable and easy to see why Another Simple Favor went directly to streaming instead of getting a theatrical release.

The film was written by Jessica Sharze and Laeta Kalogridis and clearly no one actually read what they wrote before they filmed it.  The running time is 120 minutes.  

2024 - JACKPOT, typical streaming comedy

This lame action comedy coming from the world of streaming, is a typical streaming movie.  Cable TV aka "Linear TV" continues to die on the vine as the public migrates to streaming. These streaming shows should provide more original entertainment since they are not subject to a lot of the censorship rules linear TV has put up with.  But in their desire to flood their streaming channels, the viewers end up with some stupid junk like this.

Jackpot is a typical streaming movie, it has a high concept idea but presents it in the blandest way possible.  There is a plot such that it is. In the future, anyone drawing a winning  lottery ticket has to spend the first 24 hours ducking the general public which in this case is trying to kill the winner.  The person who kills the lottery winner gets the winning ticket and the original winner’s monetary so cue the unending action scenes.

The film is a mediocre action comedy, with decent actors trying to wring some humor out of this preposterous situation. In fact it's safe to say this movie is not funny. 

The lead actors Awkwafina and former wrestler John Cena seem like they want to make this silly film work but Jackpot gives them nothing to do. It's as if the writer Rob Yescombe and the director Paul Feig had absolutely no interest in making an entertaining popcorn film other than collecting an easy paycheck for this drivel

 

I'm not sure what happened to Paul Feig.  He was usually a fairly reliable director of entertaining comedies like Bridesmaids, Spy and A Simple Favor.  But lately he really seems to be struggling with making decent comedies.   Jackpot is extremely undemanding viewing.  As  I sat in front of the TV playing with my phone at the same time, I sort of watched it with neither a mild interest or a mild disinterest.

The running time is 106 minutes.

2011 - BRIDESMAIDS - chick flick

There's joy and sorrow, comedy and drama, laughter and perhaps a tear or two in Bridesmaids.

For all the raunch and potty mouth women, this is just another warmed over chick flick.  Kristin Wiig is the pathetic best friend of Maya Rudolph the bride to be.  Wiig has already played this loser character in Paul.  In  her last two films she's now managed to typecast herself as a variation of Charlie Chaplin's put upon tramp character complete with slapstick.

Bridesmaids clocks in at over 2 hours which is way too long for any comedy.  The film loads up with secondary characters like Jon Hamm as the selfish boyfriend and the extremely overbearing colorful character of the obnoxious friend played by Melissa McCarthy who is funny for a whole 10 minutes.

It all ends with the ladies singing their little hearts out at the wedding, best buddies forever.

125 minutes.