Honey Don't!

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.

A film with a premise steeped in dark comedy and striking situations within a social and reflective critique, but it could have been better.

"Honey Don't!" is an attractive offering thanks to its production design, where you can see creativity from the very start and the way it brings something different to films of this genre. It's a film that employs a dark sense of humor with plenty of satire in a social critique context, offering a window into realism and portraying various scenarios within a setting. It's an experience that encourages analysis from an authentic point of view thanks to its premise and atmosphere, despite having many drawbacks along the way.

The film has a pleasant energy at the outset, hinting at the potential it conveys in just a few scenes and showing that there's much to digest; however, it loses its way as the minutes pass, failing to objectively deliver on each element established in its plotlines. Here, there is a great waste of that momentum that manifests in a structure of great value, weight, or even power; I emphasize the importance of a narrative that can explore different nuances and focus on a satisfying outcome.

At this point, director Ethan Coen conveys his idea-whether visually, objectively, or analytically-but he doesn't seize the opportunity to fully exploit that potential with major impact. However, it does deliver outstanding camera angles and framing that are a marvel, where the level of detail and the use of natural lighting speak for themselves. I think the film's concept is realized, but when it most needs development, it's set aside in favor of subplots that take on more importance than the original idea.

"Honey Don't!" is one of those films that starts off well but suffers from poor execution along the way, despite having appealing ideas and untapped potential. Furthermore, it doesn't delve into character development beyond conveying the idea of social critique that plays out on screen. The main objective of this film is to serve as yet another outlet for expressing controversial issues in various social settings, with the aim of contributing a grain of sand and conveying that message to its audience.

Among its cinematic aspects, I can highlight the editing, cinematography, mise-en-scène, set design, costume design, and the handling of filming in terms of framing, focus, shots, and settings. These are crucial points that are well executed from a visual perspective. The setting is crucial to the film's context, enhancing the experience as long as you connect with it.

In terms of performance, Margaret Qualley stands out the most for the tone she brings to her character thru her seriousness, double-edged intentions, and detective-like focus. In every scene, she conveys a naturalness, and without a doubt, she's a beauty who elevates every shot. As for Aubrey Plaza, there isn't much to say; her performance is straightforward because that's how it's written in the script. However, when she most needs to surprise on screen, she doesn't quite deliver to the fullest. He's not a protagonist, but he should have been given more development for what the film is trying to convey. Chris Evans is merely an exaggerated characterization within the context of the film's critique, and therefore a deliberately forced character thru its script, also recalling the dark comedy that is present throughout.

In another sense, the film covers themes related to revenge, double standards, professional ethics, past traumas, violence, abuse, the relevance of social media, ulterior motives, the intensity of the pursuit of justice, negligence by law enforcement, professionalism, trust, acceptance, and sexuality in an everyday setting as a means of escape from adversity.

It also presents a social critique of religion and the sexual abuse in these so-called "houses of God," where manipulation, egocentrism, smuggling, murder, and the power of carnal desire are rampant in many places, and no one does anything about it. The critique this film fosters is striking because, despite its dark comedy, it doesn't shy away from reality. Furthermore, it employs a metaphor linking religion, culture, power, and sexuality, exploring various settings and the intertwined consequences of their manifestations. It can also be seen as the "why not do it?" from a perspective in which the director emphasizes the exaggeration of gender and those alarming manifestations to try to exemplify it, letting the exploration of sexuality speak for itself.

In summary, it's a film that has a good opening, good shots, and coherent potential, but it squanders the opportunity to explore its established concepts, with the lack of depth and sustainability in each argument going unnoticed. Its main focus is social criticism and conveying a message to its viewers. Despite leaving many loose ends, from my perspective it just barely passes for its messages and the way it tells the story. Without a doubt, it could have been better with better execution along the way, but it serves its purpose.

Honey Don't (2025) is a neo-noir dark comedy detective movie written and directed by Ethan Coen of the Coen Brothers, it is the second entry in the lesbian B-movie trilogy and it tells the story of a private investigator searching for the killer of several murders that could be tied to a religious church. This was a movie I was excited for since I'm a massive fan of the Coen Brothers, but it is sad for me to say this movie was just okay.

Positives for Honey Don't (2025): The movie does have an interesting premise of this young private investigator searching for the killer while also having to deal with a detective who refuses to believe that she is a lesbian. Margaret Qualley does a great job as Honey O'Donahue and she is one of the reason to watch this movie. I did enjoy the the supporting cast with Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Charlie Day, Kristen Connolly, Billy Eichner, Gabby Beans and Talia Ryder. The main murder mystery is interesting at first with its ties to this church headed by Chris Evans. You still get that Coen western vibe that Ethan and his brother Joel have done very well together. And finally, there are some good action sequences that are decently bloody and I liked it.

Negatives for Honey Don't (2025): This movie barely has a story to tell to its audience. The movie feels like a series of events happening in order, but none of it lands right. The movie is too short to tell a story and it felt like Ethan Coen just wanted to make a lesbian movie without the story. And finally, Charlie Day got on my nerves as he refuses to accept that Margaret Qualley is a lesbian and I wanted to knock him out.

Overall, Honey Don't is a serviceable enough detective movie with a great cast, but it falls short of what Ethan Coen is known for doing when he is at his best.

This is a movie that very literally has no point. At any given point in time there are 3 plots circulating around it. Plot #1 what honey is doing, which seems to be some kind of version of being a P. I. but not really doing much in the way of investigating besides for getting nowhere fast with it. #2 What the pastor is doing, from what I can see he's got something shady going on which is a mix of some sort with his sex based church. And #3 the actual movie plot which is anyone's guess since there's no real way to make heads or tails of it. And that's about it. I wish I could tell you that they all run together in the end and make some grand reveal, they don't.

5/10 good acting, no idea what these plots are suppose to be, this is something to watch if you're bored and want to waste some time.

L would have traded some of the sex for some plot development. I wanted to care but couldn't. Some funny moments. Life in a trailer home, The wicked pastor. But what was the movie about? I don't know. Great scenery as our leading lady cruises around the starkness of the city that could be anywhere USA.

The movie had all the ingredients but came out as dull as grandma's green jello.