Film Review: Honey Don't!

Welcome back to the blog readers. If there is one genre of film that does not get made enough, it would be detective films. The Knives Out (2019-) franchise does these films so well (Wake Up Dead Man (2025) comes out this December and I am stoked as shit), but good ones are not easy to come by nowadays. When I hard about this film, I was hoping there would be an exception to that, but would that actually be the case? Let's find out together.

Honey Don't! was directed by Ethan Coen from a screenplay by Coen and Tricia Cooke. The film stars Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Charlie Day, and Billy Eichner. In the film, private investigator Honey O'Donahue begins investigating a string of mysterious killings that are tied back to a church owned by local reverend Drew Devlin.

I do think in hindsight it is a bit unfair to compare every detective film to Knives Out, but those films have set the bar for what a detective film can be. I mean, it may not be Rian Johnson in the director's chair, but Ethan Coen is one of the more well-known figures. And I think it suffices to say that this film is...confusing to say the least. I do like the performance of Margaret Qualley, but the rest of the film is not very great.

Speaking of Margaret Qualley, she is quickly expanding her horizons when it comes to Hollywood. Her most notable role to date was in one of my favorite films of last year in The Substance (2024), a film in which I believe she should have been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars. Honey O'Donahue is a different kind of beast than Sue. She is leading a film this time around, and the swagger she is able to carry is kind of addicting in all honesty. Will she get any awards buzz? Not in the slightest, but getting to see her evolve and grow is the real win.

I want to mention next that the story of this film feels pretty derivative compared to other detective films. I personally did not really feel intrigued by the events that transpired because those moments in the story do not feel earned. And it really stinks because Ethan Coen clearly has done better in terms of writing. Look at Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), No Country for Old Men (2007), and True Grit (2010), in addition to Unbroken (2014) and Bridge of Spies (2015). The man is clearly talented, but this was not the move. Not looking forward to the third of this supposed "lesbian B-movie trilogy."

And finally, we need to talk about the filthy in this film. I am going to be brutally honest with you guys right now: I did not see a single trailer for this film. I honestly did not even know who directed this film. But I knew the film existed, that Chris Evans was in it, and I was intrigued. I most certainly did not know that there would be as much sex and nudity in this film as there was. Like did he not see that poll where Gen Z did not want to see excessive sex in films and television? I really hope he sees it before he makes this next lesbian film.

In conclusion, Honey Don't! is a cavalcade of confusion that will leave even the biggest fans of the Coen brothers befuddled and baffled. Thank you all for reading, and I will see you for the next post.