Honey, Don’t!: Sweet Start, Bitter Ending
Honey, Don’t! struggles to find a sweet ending
(Focus Features)
Allow me to start by saying that I have not watched Drive-Away Dolls, so I came into this film completely unbiased on that front. I will, however, be watching it since there are so many claims of that being the better film. I’m actually looking forward to it since I really enjoyed the style of Honey, Don't!.
Honey, Don’t! is a lot of things wrapped into one film:
A private investigator/ detective mystery
A western that looks vintage, yet modern
A dark comedy with dashes of absurity
(Focus Features)
How Was the Movie?
I was actually digging it, because I like weird/ unconventional movies like this. Honestly, it’s not a horrible watch, but the ending is so unfulfilling. So if you like absurd, quirky, dark comedies I can recommend Honey, Don’t!; but I have to let you know ahead of time that the ending didn’t work for me.
The film starts off good. You have a murder mystery, a detective who is a woman, a reverend who is beyond shady, and a town that feels like 1975 but it's actually present day.
It's a fun watch until things just really start becoming too…random.
Without spoiling too much, there is a random death that doesn’t really add much to the story. Then there’s an important death that is underwhelming. And one of the mysteries that is solved is like playing a game of Clue- A character, a place, and an object were chosen with the substantial background as to why it happened.
Films like Scary Movie are sillier and less serious than this film and still manage to close out mysteries better.
(Focus Features)
Best Parts About the Movie?
Actors:
All of the main actors do a solid job here. In fact, I could even see Margaret and Aubrey switching roles, but they did good right where they are.
Chris Evans was hilarious and reminded me of his days back in Not Another Teen Movie.
Charlie Day is classic Charlie Day; so if you enjoy his humor you won’t be disappointed.
Aesthetics:
Honey, Don’t! has a neo-noir detective aesthetic to it that I absolutely love.
As mentioned earlier, this all takes place in a small western-looking town. The main character Honey (Margaret Qualley) has all the roughness and edge that you’d expect from a male detective, but she's dressed like the damsel in distress.
Dark Comedy Elements:
Honey, Don’t! is genuinely hilarious in a dark humor kind of way. There are plenty of parts that are meant to be obscene, but then you ask “how obscene is this really compared to real life?”
Case and point: we see from the trailer that Reverend Drew is clearly not a reverend who follows the rules of his religion. It’s literally thrown in his followers’ faces and they follow him regardless. How often have we seen situations like this in real life? Sad, but true.
(Focus Features)
Is This Movie for You?
If you are easily offended or prudish, then you do not want to watch this movie. This film intentionally has scenes to make you uncomfortable; and possibly to offend you too.
Honey, Don’t! does everything it wants to do unapologetically. There are LGBTQ storylines, religious folks with sex kinks and drug habits, and quite a bit of random sex. Just your typical everyday stuff, that people like to pretend doesn't exist, thrown in your face as much as possible for about an hour and a half.
Despite not liking the ending, I still enjoyed the film. And honestly, who knows, you might just think it’s perfect.
Feel free to drop me a message to let me know what you thought. My inbox is always open, and I love hearing other people's perspectives.