Honey Don't!

Margaret Qualley, who was great in Substance, acts like a private detective from a 50's movie, which was out of place with almost everyone else.

Aubrey Plaza was great in her role, seemed very realistic amongst the other actors.

Chris Evans's character was over acted, which might have been the intent of the director, given other weird choices.

Ethan Coen, is a great director, but really couldn't pull this movie together as it seemed lost as to style or intent. I think he must have decided to throw in the several meaningless sex scenes that didn't advance the plot, to appeal to teenage boys.

All the rest of the actors were way over the top and unrealistic to the point of being a parody almost to Naked Gun level. Thus, there were a few laughs to be had.

Didn't hate it, but will never watch it again and regret paying to see it.

Hate to say it but this one was a total letdown. The cast is stacked and the vibes could have been amazing, but the story just went in too many directions instead of owning one lane. Chris evans as a slimeball pastor had me cracking up, charlie day kept giving me sunny conspiracy board flashbacks (probably just me lol), and honestly both aubrey plaza and margaret qualley were made for their hot, classy, sultry detective/cop roles. They completely delivered - it was the storyline, not the characters, that didn't add up. And look, while the coen brothers' breakup has blessed us with some spectacular sapphic scenes (hi, aubrey and margaret being absurdly hot together), it's also proof that his wife's touch might bring the spice but the boys really do their best work as a band of brothers. The whole thing ended up feeling messy and dragged way too long. BUT i'd still happily pay again just to rewatch that aubrey x margaret market scene because wow... chef's kiss, dangerously hot.

Just about every scene from the trailer that lured us to the theatre was bogged down with emotionless, carefree scene-ploitation of Honey's polygamy as the centerpiece. While Margaret's acting isn't lackluster, the supporting motif and cast didn't add anything to this soulless film.

Ultimately, not a great film despite its' old school backdrop, and 1/2 of the Coen brothers in the director's chair (notice the lower case 'D'). At one point during the film, I asked myself if I cared about any of the characters or Honey's plight... My answer was a resounding, "Nope. I don't care about a single character in this empty shell of a film."

I just finished watching Honey Don't, and honestly, I left the theater scratching my head. The whole experience was a strange mix of sad, pointless, and-if I'm being blunt-sometimes flat-out boring. It felt like the film was trying to say something profound, but the tone was so off that it missed its mark entirely.

I truly don't know what audience they were aiming for. Too heavy-handed to be light drama, too scattered to be meaningful, and too dull to be entertaining. Characters drifted through scenes without much purpose, and while the story had the bones of something emotional, it never built to anything worth caring about.

The pacing didn't help either. There were long stretches where I caught myself checking the time, waiting for something-anything-to happen. Instead, it kept circling back to the same dreary mood that never paid off.

In the end, I can see why the studio released this movie in the dead zone of late August, right before Labor Day weekend. It feels like one of those "let's just get it out there and move on" kind of releases. Honey Don't isn't the worst film I've ever seen, but it's definitely one I won't be remembering-or recommending-anytime soon.

It's a send-up of a 1940s detective noir movie set in 2024 in and around Bakersfield, California. It follows Honey O'Donahue (Margaret Qualley), a lesbian private eye who comes upon a suspicious auto accident, which turns out to be the surface of a complex drug operation and a surprising serial killer. Honey's world includes her sister, Heidi (Kristen Connolly), her niece, Corrine (Talia Ryder), police detective Metakawich (Charlie Day), police officer MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza), and Rev. Drew (Chris Evans), leader of the Four-Way Temple.

"Honey Don't" includes many Ethan Coen earmarks--all the characters are eccentric, the setting is deliberately confusing with 1940s imagery mixed with 2024 imagery, and the plot jerks the viewer around multiple times. Thus, it's a fun watch for Coen fans, but it feels like the film wasn't fully baked. There are way too many loose ends, and it doesn't feel like a coherent whole at the end. Margaret Qualley is fine for her role; I wish it could have been more complete. Chris Evans provides the other memorable character.