From Another Simple Favor to Summer of 69, Should You Add These To Your Watchlist?
Revenge plots, murder mysteries, and surprising female friendships, these movies have it all! Here’s what you need to be watching… and what you can skip.
Another Simple Favor
Another Simple Favor is the sequel no one asked for… but we got it anyway. So is it worth the watch?
It’s been five years since Emily Nelson (Blake Lively) was sentenced to prison for the murders of her father and twin sister. Her ex Sean has turned to alcohol while raising their son, and her bestie Stephanie Smothers (Anna Kendrick) has found major success with her mom vlog and detective work. Things take a turn when Emily finds herself out of prison early and asks Stephanie to be the maid of honor at her lavish Italian wedding. But is this really a girlfriend reunion, or all a secret plot to get revenge?
Another Simple Favor tries to recapture the dark comedy and stylish mystery of the first film, but doesn’t stick the landing. The fashion? Gorgeous. The locations? Stunning. But the plot? A total mess. It’s over-the-top, convoluted, and just plain weird. Like things get seriously creepy. They tried to continue plot points from the first film, but it’s like they threw in every wild idea they had to the point that they had a hard time piecing it all together. You really have to suspend disbelief as they try to force it to work with cheap shock value.
Another Simple Favor is streaming on Prime Video.
Summer of 69
Don’t let the title fool you — Summer of 69 is full of way more heart than chaos.
Sam Morelos of That 90s Show plays awkward high school student Abby who hires an exotic dancer to help build her confidence when it comes to seducing her longtime crush. Just from the description alone, it might seem like this would be a super raunchy film, but it was actually surprisingly sweet. Saturday Night Live’s Chloe Fineman plays the stripper mentor whose story actually becomes one of female entrepreneurship and empowerment, while Morelos’ character learns it’s okay to not grow up too fast and finds value in female friendship.
You’ve got a really fun cast here with Matt Cornett, who is very cute as the love interest, as well as Nicole Byer, Liza Koshy, Natalie Morales, Paula Pell, and Charlie Day. This endearing directorial debut from Jillian Bell has a nostalgic element to it that feels like a cult classic in the making.
Summer of 69 hits Hulu on May 9.
Susie Searches
Promise me you will not watch the trailer for this movie! On a whim, I checked out Susie Searches, which came out in 2022, and it’s best to go in blind to get the full experience.
Kiersey Clemons plays an awkward college student named Susie with a passion for mysteries. When a popular student on her college campus goes missing, she uses it as an opportunity to dig into the truth to build a following for her failing true crime podcast. There are so many solid twists and turns as we follow this girl detective with a dark desire for recognition. There’s kidnappings, murders, and cover up plots, plus some of our favorite stars like Alex Wolff and Rachel Sennott. The mystery is pieced together really well and, if you go in without knowing anything, it’ll really surprise you.
Susie Searches is streaming on Disney+.
