For causes recognized solely to him, author/director Ethan Coen has made the late-in-life pivot from his longtime partnership together with his brother, Joel, to creating quirky motion pictures about lesbians together with his queer spouse, Tricia Cooke. They began with Drive-Away Dolls in 2024, and are actually again with a very completely different sort of story in Honey Don’t.
Their muse seems to be Margaret Qualley, who starred within the earlier movie and right here leads the way in which as Honey O’Donahue, a non-public detective who’s at all times on the hunt for her subsequent case and her subsequent lover. A deadly automotive accident is the impetus for the plot, as Honey navigates the undesirable advances of police detective Marty Metakawitch (Charlie Day), the cult-like church led by Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans), and different obstacles.
Her skilled life begins to collide along with her private one when her niece Corrine (Talia Ryder) mysteriously goes lacking. Honey additionally begins up a fling with police officer MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza) in an effort to get higher data on her circumstances and to fulfill her yearnings. Her dedication to her job and her sexual proclivities proceed to intertwine all through the movie.
Coen and Cooke, who co-wrote the movie, attempt to make a contemporary movie noir, having Honey emulate a basic non-public detective in her speech and actions. She typically reveals little emotion even in situations that may name for it, and her intelligence is at all times a step above different characters. Even because the story flounders, Honey stays fascinating in the way in which she reacts to those that attempt to undermine her or query her skills.
As soon as once more, seen by means of a sure lens, the story might slot in properly with the Coen Brothers filmography, as just about each character has oddball tendencies that make them both humorous or intriguing. However the plot is meandering, leading to solely tenuous connections that begin to fray below the slightest examination. Honey appears to be good at her job, however Coen and Cooke battle to show precisely why she’s in a position to uncover numerous clues.
It’s troublesome to know what to make of the sexual facet of the movie. There’s an implied explicitness to lots of these scenes (and there are quite a bit for a 90-minute movie) that goes past what’s typical of most motion pictures today. On the similar time, it’s unclear why a few of them had been included. Reverend Drew is proven virtually completely in the midst of having intercourse with completely different ladies, a alternative that demonstrates his controlling, egomaniacal persona, however the scenes with Honey and MG serve little objective aside from to titillate.
Qualley is well one of the best a part of the movie, giving a managed efficiency that lets the viewers purchase into the character regardless of the story flaws. Plaza is often understated in most of her scenes, maybe a bit an excessive amount of for this explicit function. Each Evans and Day are allowed to go excessive with their characters, which works initially till it will get to be an excessive amount of for each.
At this level, it appears unlikely that Joel and Ethan Coen will ever staff up once more, so anybody trying to get a repair must make do with motion pictures like Honey Don’t. Though it has considerably of the identical really feel as their basic movies, the additional parts that Coen and Cooke add to the combo fail to enhance the ultimate product.
—
Honey Do not opens in theaters on August 22.
