We're all used to seeing product placements in movies, but Prime Video's new movie didn't encourage me to eat a certain snack or drive a certain car — it made me desperately keen to hop on a flight and visit its beautiful setting.
The film in question is sunny sequel Another Simple Favor, which hit the platform on Thursday, May 1. It's a sequel to 2018's A Simple Favor which starred Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively (our guide on how to watch Another Simple Favor includes details on streaming the original movie, if you haven't seen it).
Another Simple Favor is about a murder that takes place in a fancy wedding on the Italian island of Capri, which is just off the western coast from Sorrento and Naples. I've been to Italy many times, including Sorrento, and have even worked on a film production in Sicily, but I must admit that Capri is a place I'd never really thought of visiting before. And after watching the movie, I really want to go!
During a Q&A screening of Another Simple Favor with the cast and crew, director Paul Feig talked repeatedly about his love of Capri, with Blake Lively recounting how he'd ingratiated himself into the culture of the island. And it really shows on screen.
As soon as our characters leave the US, we're seeing sweeping shots of Capri, from its vista as the characters approach (pictured above) to its architecture, people and customs. It's hard not to get envious of the characters swanning around in the sun, exploring Mediterranean towns, relaxing by a pool surrounding by candles and drinking cocktails in old ruins.
You'd think this was a travel documentary, if it wasn't for a drunk Henry Golding staggering about and for how easy Anna Kendrick can text on her phone despite how annoying it is to get roaming data.
Even the sheer number of murders or crimes that take place, the apparent presence of multiple crime families, and the presence of catacombs ripe for kidnapping and torture, do little to make Capri look unappealing.
Unfortunately I've just checked hotel prices in Capri and they're... not cheap. As you'd expect for a paradisical island. And that's before you factor in travel which involves a flight to Naples and then a ferry to the island. If you get sea-sick, Naples is certainly out of the question.
However living in the UK means that another Capri-set movie is coming out in one day, which gives me a chance to return. Parthenope, the latest film from one-man-Naples-tourism-advert Paulo Sorrentino, comes out in the UK on Friday, May 2 (it released in the US in February). This is mostly set in Naples but some of it is set and filmed in Capri.
My fixaction on Another Simple Favor's setting isn't a commentary on its overall quality — I found it an improvement on its predecessor — but seeing the film and hearing Feig speak, Capri clearly an important part of the movie's DNA. So it's a testament to the movie that I'm so keen to see where it took place!
Another Simple Favor is streaming globally on Prime Video now.
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