benyitz

One star, because IMDb does not allow zero. Another Simple Favor is not just a pointless sequel, it is a transparent vanity project for Blake Lively, whose entire performance seems calibrated to remind us she is still here. Unfortunately for audiences, her presence overwhelms everything else and not in a good way.

Lively cycles through forced cool-girl tropes with the same smug detachment that made the first film mediocre at best. This time around, it's far worse. Her line delivery is flat, her facial expressions robotic, and every wardrobe change screams overcompensation for a lack of substance.

Paul Feig continues to prove that he is no longer directing films so much as enabling them. Instead of shaping a coherent story or tone, he lets Lively dominate the screen with affected stares and empty posturing. The plot (if you can call it that) lurches between half-baked mystery and limp satire, all in service of showcasing Lively's most unearned sense of importance to date.

There is nothing clever here, nothing suspenseful, and certainly nothing resembling chemistry. Every scene feels like a favor to someone off-camera, not to the audience.

Avoid this film. Watch literally anything else.

I didn't think anything could match the unique tone and impact of Shtisel, but Kugel equals-and in some ways surpasses-it for its humor, character development, storytelling, and, most of all, its insight into humanity. Set within the insular world of Hasidim, the show somehow feels both specific and universal. It has you laughing, in awe, and at times in tears with its twists and turns. The acting is superb across the board, and the pacing is pitch-perfect. The grand finale delivers a twist that forces you to rethink your preconceived ideas of good, bad, and what is humanity. We've had so much phenomenal scripted TV over the past decade, but Kugel stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best of them. It absolutely blew me away.