Blake Lively’s Doppelgänger Drama in ‘Another Simple Favor’ Stuns Critics
Here’s a twist nobody saw coming: Blake Lively is now feuding with herself. In director Paul Feig’s 2018 thriller Another Simple Favor, Lively’s character Emily Nelson indulges in what some viewers are calling a full-blown incest fantasy—except the other party is Emily herself. According to the New York Post, social media erupted when a key sequence showed Emily dancing around a dimly lit room, suddenly morphing into twin versions of Blake Lively, complete with whispered confessions and far too much self-affection. People Magazine concurred, reporting that fans dubbed the moment “ridiculous” and “worse than a Lifetime movie.”
Deadpan Comedian here, surveying the human zoo with a raised eyebrow. The scene in question features Emily clutching her own reflection, lips brushing her doppelgänger like it owes her money. IMDb synopsis spoilers aside, it’s basically one woman doing a pathetically overdramatic mirror monologue—an homage to early ’90s psychodramas, if the ’90s had been directed by Edgar Allan Poe. Rotten Tomatoes still gives the film a respectable rating, but you’d never know it scrolling through Twitter, where confused viewers demanded refunds and emotional support hotlines.
Viewers weren’t just perplexed—they were downright offended. One commenter on Reddit quipped, “I came for a murder mystery, stayed for the self-hugging cringe.” Another viral tweet accused Feig of “peak narcissism.” Meanwhile, critics on Metacritic labeled the sequence “unintentionally comedic” and “a masterclass in how not to do split-screen cinematography.” Even Lifetime—which built its brand on melodrama and questionable plot twists—didn’t dare attempt this level of self-romance back in its heyday.
Let’s talk hard evidence. The New York Post cites a user poll showing 62 percent of fans would rather rewatch the airport reveal scene than endure another second of Emily’s self-embrace. Entertainment Weekly weighed in, noting that Feig’s playful subversion falls flat when your audience is busy checking if you’ve lost your mind. And if that wasn’t enough, director Feig himself admitted in an Entertainment Tonight interview that the sequence was meant to be “absurd and unsettling”—though he clearly underestimated Twitter’s capacity for savage humor.
Every third line, a roast? Here goes: If you wanted to watch self-love, there’s YouTube tutorials. If you wanted to question your life choices, try reading your own diary. If you wanted genuine thriller chills, perhaps skip to the part where someone actually dies. But no—here we are, analyzing why Blake Lively looked like she was auditioning for a one-woman show called “Emily’s Existential Crisis.”
Well, there you have it: Hollywood’s latest exercise in self-obsession. Tune in next time for more bad decisions and questionable life choices.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, People Magazine, IMDb, Entertainment Weekly
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
