Sometimes, when a movie is set in a beautiful, far-off location, it’s for a reason intrinsic to the plot. And sometimes, when a movie is set in a beautiful, far-off location, it seems like it’s because the filmmakers and cast thought it would be fun to go there, with the story itself something of an afterthought. The latter appears to be the case for “Another Simple Favor,” Paul Feig’s sequel to his sly 2018 comedic noir “A Simple Favor”; there’s not much reason for the movie to exist, but the glorious Italian island of Capri is more than ready for its close-up.

When we last saw Stephanie (Anna Kendrick) and Emily (Blake Lively), their stories seemed nicely concluded: Stephanie found success with her mommy vlog and her true-crime side hustle, Emily was serving a lengthy prison sentence. (It’s one of the curious pleasures of “A Simple Favor” that though I have watched it several times, I never can remember exactly what Emily went to prison for, though I could describe her outfits in meticulous detail.) But now Emily’s out, for reasons quickly glossed over, and off to Capri to marry a ridiculously handsome Italian businessman (Michele Morrone). Of course somebody (actually more than one somebody) ends up dead, and it falls to the ever-perky Stephanie to try to solve the crime(s), and there’s a lot of ominous shots over a rather terrifying-looking cliff, and … well, that hotel in Capri really does look awfully nice.

“Another Simple Favor” is, ultimately, yet another demonstration of the axiom Not Every Good Movie Deserves a Sequel. It’s a pleasure seeing Lively preen in a succession of over-the-top outfits (huge props to costume designer Renee Ehrlich Kalfus for dressing Emily in a jailbird-appropriate striped pantsuit with chain belt, and, later, a straw hat the size of a Maserati), and to ponder Kendrick’s countless variations on a cutely forced smile and the words “Hi moms!,” and to watch Henry Golding amusingly playing day-drunk. But the plot’s a mess, the run time is overlong and ultimately the movie feels like a slew of good actors trapped in a gorgeous place, wearing beautiful clothes and gazing at the impossibly blue water. It might work fine to watch at home, chilled glass of wine in hand, if you’re not picky about story and logic — better, I think, if you can’t get to Capri yourself, to just watch the first one again. Simple, it turns out, isn’t so easy.

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'ANOTHER SIMPLE FAVOR'

2 stars (out of 4)

MPA rating: R (for violence, sexual content, nudity, language throughout, and suicide)

Running time: 2:00

How to watch: Prime Video

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