'Honey Don't!': A Sloppy, Mildly Amusing Misfire

PHOTO: Focus Features

Since The Coen Brothers decided to part ways and pursue their own projects, we have received one film from each of them. Joel gave us 2021’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, while Ethan gave us 2024’s Drive-Away Dolls. These two films couldn’t be any more different from each other, but both still carry pieces of what make the duo’s films so unique and fascinating. Drive-Away Dolls saw Ethan embrace a bawdy, breezy tone, and made for a strange, yet funny road movie. Along with his co-writer/wife, Tricia Cooke, the film opened a new chapter for Coen’s career. It is clear that he and Cooke tapped into something while making Dolls, as it inspired them to make what is being described as a “lesbian B-movie trilogy”. This brings us to the second entry in this planned trilogy: Honey Don’t!, a neo-noir detective film that retains the silliness and frank sexual content of Drive-Away Dolls while also attempting to craft a strong, pulpy mystery. It is a noble effort from Coen and Cooke, and it clearly has potential, but it feels so disconnected and comes across like a watered down Coen Brothers film. Honey Don’t! ends up doing one of the most frustrating things a film can do, which is to have the right ingredients for something good, but somehow make something that comes up short.

As the film begins, private investigator Honey O’Donahue (Margaret Qualley) is called to the scene of a fatal car accident. Upon arriving, she discovers that the victim is Mia Novotny (Kara Petersen), a woman who contacted her to meet with her that same day. After suspecting that she may have actually been murdered, Honey investigates further, finding out that she has ties to a mysterious church called the Four-Way Temple. Led by Reverend Drew (Chris Evans), the church is involved with drug trafficking and other shady dealings. As Honey continues her investigation, she becomes romantically involved with police officer MG (Aubrey Plaza) and tries to figure out who is responsible for Mia’s death, as well as some other strange murders that may be tied to the Four-Way Temple.

I was a little muted on Drive-Away Dolls, and yet I had some optimism towards Honey Don’t!. With Dolls, there was still plenty that worked for me, but perhaps needed a little refinement. After all, this was Ethan Coen’s first solo feature and he is tapping into a slightly different energy with that film, so there may be the need for adjustment on his part. Unfortunately, Honey has similar issues to Dolls, with both films having a lot of elements that should work in theory, but ultimately feel disjointed. This is way worse with Honey Don’t!, however, as it introduces some plot points that feel like Coen and Cooke were like “Sure, why not?” and threw them into the film. It all feels a bit too loosey-goosey and hollow, which isn’t really ideal for a detective movie. I generally like the freewheeling nature that the film has, but it does cause certain things to be glossed over and dampen the film’s impact. 

The thing is that you can see what Coen and Cooke are going for, and there is definitely a version of this film that might be more successful. It may require another pass or two at the screenplay, but there are seeds of good ideas here. The whole detective angle is solid, as is the film’s dialogue, but everything else is a mixed bag. This is definitely the case with the film’s central mystery, which has interesting details but doesn’t come together in a satisfying way. It doesn’t help that it takes some detours that don’t feel fully necessary, and that it kind of whiffs its big reveal at the end. It is so irritating that it doesn’t work better than it does because the ingredients are all here. On paper, this should be a fun little romp, but it wastes much of its potential and just comes across haphazardly. I have no doubt that Coen and Cooke had fun making this, but it might have come at the cost of the film’s quality. There simply isn’t as much of a handle on a lot of the storytelling here, and it shows big time.

The film does its best to cultivate a pulpy, neo-noir vibe, and it mostly accomplishes it. Like many other aspects of the film, it comes close to being pulled off well but stops short of greatness. The moments that lean further into this are some of the film’s best, and I wish there was maybe a smidge more of it in the final product.  There is also a subversiveness that Coen and Cooke use that gives the film an interesting texture, and helps keep the film from being a complete drag. This keeps the viewer on their toes a bit, as it is never fully clear where the film is going to go next. This isn’t your average detective movie, and it at least isn’t entirely predictable. However, the conclusions we reach are a bit disappointing and left me shrugging my shoulders and saying “Sure, I guess?” Again, I can see what the film is going for, but it all comes across so clumsily. The film’s humor is helpful, but even this isn’t enough to fully save it.

Coen and Cooke did make the right decision to re-team with Margaret Qualley, as she is great as the titular Honey. I enjoyed Qualley in Drive-Away Dolls, so her involvement here gave me some hope. Qualley has been consistently good in everything I’ve seen her in lately, and Honey Don’t! is no exception. She has a good mix of classic gumshoe and modern detective, and blends them in a way that makes her pop all throughout the film. Qualley plays Honey’s assuredness and confidence so well and makes her quite a compelling character. Qualley’s performance does a lot of the heavy lifting in the film, and is easily one of the best things about it.

The supporting cast is also solid and do their best with what they are given. Aubrey Plaza is a great foil to Qualley’s Honey, and she uses her trademark deadpan delivery well here. Plaza’s portrayal of MG, a police officer who Honey begins hooking up with, sees her slip into a more masculine energy that gives the character an interesting edge. Charlie Day only shows up a few times, but he may be the funniest performance in the whole film. Day is kind of doing his usual schtick, but it is used so well here. Each of his scenes involves him interacting with Honey and flirting with her, as he seems to not understand that she is a lesbian. It’s a simple bit, but one that is funny every time. Day also fits the role of a police detective rather well, and has a similar old-school vibe that Qualley brings to her role. Chris Evans gets the chance to let loose in this film as the lecherous Reverend Drew, and it is pretty fun to see him in a role like this. Evans plays up the charisma and gets a few laughs, and his casting does work well considering that Drew is ostensibly a cult leader. We can believe that people want to join his flock even though he spouts nonsense, sleeps with his congregants, and has ties to criminal activity. Some of the comedy isn’t exactly a perfect fit for Evans, but he has a good presence throughout to help make up for it. 

At its best, Honey Don’t! feels like diet Coen Brothers, but at its worst, it’s a messier, less fun version of what Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke did with Drive-Away Dolls. It is often on the cusp of being what it sets out to be, but it is all too disconnected to fully click. I can appreciate what Coen and Cooke are going for, but it is still frustrating that they weren’t able to stick the landing on this one. It could have been far worse, I suppose, but it’s hard not to be disappointed given Coen’s previous work. It is clear that he and Cooke have the right ideas and can occasionally pull them off, but Honey Don’t! doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in their future work. And yet, I still have a shred of hope for Coen and Cooke’s next film because there’s still some good stuff here. It may be a pretty big mess, but it is an interesting mess all the same. Honey Don’t! isn’t necessarily a bad film, but it is definitely underwhelming and a waste of some serious potential. I can’t help but be disappointed by this film, but who knows? Maybe the third time will be the charm for Coen and Cooke.

Rating: 2.5/5