#Jessica Sharzer

[popentertainment-moviereviews]

ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR (2025)

Starring Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Andrew Rannells, Bashir Salahuddin, Elizabeth Perkins, Michele Morrone, Elena Sofia Ricci, Alex Newell, Henry Golding, Allison Janney, Michele Morrone, Joshua Satine, Ian Ho, Kelly McCormack, Taylor Ortega, Lorenzo de Moor, Aparna Nancherla, Mitch Salm, Diletta Jayne, Holmes, Aparna Nancherla and Jake Tapper.

Screenplay by Jessica Sharzer and Laeta Kalogridis.

Directed by Paul Feig.

Distributed by Amazon MGM Studios. 120 minutes. Rated R.

For the second straight week, Another Simple Favor is an unexpected sequel for an almost 10-year-old film. (The other one was The Accountant 2, and by strange coincidence Anna Kendrick was one of the stars in both original films, although she was not in the second Accountant film.) Not only was A Simple Favor released back in 2018, but it was not a particularly popular film at the time, and you haven’t really heard of a big cult following building up for the film through screening or video.

Beyond the business considerations, there was also a narrative problem for continuing the story. In the end of the original film, one of the main characters attempted to kill the other one because she exposed her crimes. Also the other one had an affair with her friend’s husband. So they were definitely estranged and neither one trusted the other. Eventually one friend was put in prison for 20 years. So, it would take a whole lot of plot juggling to get them back together as “friends” a mere seven years later, wouldn’t it?

It would, and it sort of did, but the Simple Favor films never really worried so much about plot consistency. They were all about style, and dammit if they aren’t stylin’ again.

Another Simple Favor is no great film, but it is a fun and breezy goof, which sandwiches a twisty mystery over onto a wonderfully catty character study of suburban mothers – which is all it wants to be. The first one had the same breezy irreverence as well, although this time around some of the mystery twists go a bit too far.

But that’s okay. The mystery is just a garnish here, an olive in one of the iced martinis that Emily (Blake Lively) loves so much.

In the years since the original film, Stephanie (Kendrick) has gone from a pathetic mommy vlogger to a true-crime writer. She has just written a book based on her experiences with Emily and her crimes, but the sales are sluggish. When she is doing a book reading, she is surprised when Emily shows up, out of jail and about to marry a rich Italian gangster.

Continuing their frenemy relations, Emily asks Stephanie to be her maid of honor at her wedding, which will be in Capri, Italy. Stephanie is not sure if she trusts Emily, but she recognizes going could only help her book sales and internet presence. So she decides to go, even though she questions Emily’s motives.

And those are questionable. Eventually Emily disappears again, and Stephanie is suspected of murder.

However, that really doesn’t matter. Like I said, Another Simple Favor is not about the crimes. It is a comic look at the female bonding of some rather imperfect women, and on that level, it works surprisingly well.

For the second straight week, we have a sequel of a movie that we didn’t realize that we needed, but perhaps we really did.

Jay S. Jacobs

Copyright ©2025 PopEntertainment.com. All rights reserved. Posted: May 1, 2025.

[ven1ze]

Speak, dir. Jessica Sharzer (2004)

[jimsmovieworld]

SPEAK- 2004 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Melinda (Kristen Stewart) is struggling to deal with the trauma of being raped at a party the year before. She called the cops but got scared at the last moment and left, this caused all her "friends" to turn on her.

Depressed and alone, Melinda finds solace in her new art class with the one teacher who cares (Steve Zahn). She is selectively mute and her family dont understand why she wont talk to them anymore...

Excellent 2000's indie film/drama. Kristen Stewart is excellent as Melinda, loved her character, was really rooting for her. Her coming to terms with what happened to her and taking control of her life again was done well. Loved the ending to the film also.

Speak is Kristen Stewart's first leading role.

Although the film is quite sombre its also very funny at points. Great teen drama. Will rewatch.

Directed by Jessica Sharzer.

[haroldgross]

Another Simple Favor

[3 stars] Unlike the first movie, this one is a bit more Mel Brooks doing Hitchcock at the top before it settles back into its suspense roots with a host of returning characters. Though, admittedly, not all of those characters deserved or needed space in this sequel. This follow-on by returning writer Jessica Sharzer and new collaborator Laeta Kalogridis (Alita: Battle Angel) is considerably…

[introvertsmedialog]

61/365 Days of Film

Speak (2004) dir. Jessica Sharzer ★★★★★

speak, 2004

[alanmackcomics]

Are you a watcher or a player?

There are scenes that made my palms sweat so of course I have no choice but to love this film.

The story impressively delves into an addictive social media subculture that shapes people’s behaviour online and in real life (even though the ending is a bit too neat & tidy for my tastes).

But it’s the transformative journey of the hero, built upon each successive game-dare, that really sticks with me as a hallmark of the story and is what makes it great. 🤘🖤

NERVE (2016)

Directed by Ariel Schulman & Henry Joost

Written by Jessica Sharzer based on the novel by Jeanne Ryan

Starring Emma Roberts, Dave Franco & Emily Meade

[duinlam]

“When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time.”

Speak.

- Laurie Halse Anderson -

Speak (2004).

Directed by Jessica Sharzer.

Kristen Stewart

[in-love-with-movies]

Speak (2004)

[90sagony]

#221 Domestic studies: Speak (2004)

[karolpilberg]

Speak (2004) dir. Jessica Sharzer

[wegog]

Speak (2004) dir. Jessica Sharzer

Kristen Stewart as Melinda Sordino  

[tv-moments]

Nine Perfect Strangers

“Motherlode“

Director: Jonathan Levine

DoP: Yves Bélanger

[jerichopalms]

#154: Speak (2004, dir. by Jessica Sharzer)

[moviesinfocus]

There's No Need To Remake Tony Scott's THE HUNGER

There’s No Need To Remake Tony Scott’s THE HUNGER

The late, great Tony Scott made his big screen directing debut with the ultra-stylish 1983 vampire film, The Hunger. The film starred Catherine Deneuve and David Bowie as vampire lovers who get caught-up in a relationship with Susan Sarandon‘s gerontologist.  The Hunger (based on the novel by Whitley Strieber ) was unsuccessful at the box office, but it did highlight the director’s visual style –…

[confessionsofabingefreak]

A Simple Favour (2018)

Lionsgate

Impression: Do not understand what all the fuss was about. Planning to read the book because this film felt like they want to add every twist and turn imaginable and forgot they were supposed to be telling a story.

Collection: No, definitely no.

Overall: ⭐️⭐️

Concept: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Story: ⭐️⭐️

Storytelling: ⭐️⭐️

Characters: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Casting: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Visually: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Score:/Soundtrack: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Entertainment: ⭐️⭐️

Best: wardrobe

Worst: feels like they dumped every twist they could at it and forgot to tell the story.