HONEY DON’T! (2025)

Private investigator Honey O’Donahue (Margaret Qualley) is an old-fashioned soul in a modern world. She keeps her contacts in a Rolodex on her desk. She gets her coffee in a Styrofoam cup from the business downstairs. And she tells it like it is, with no sugar-coating the bad news. When one of her clients dies in a car accident just after she tells Honey she’s afraid for her life, Honey launches an investigation tied to the small-town Four Points church, led by the sleazy Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans). Meanwhile, Honey strikes up an intense relationship with police officer MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza). Meanwhile, Honey’s niece, Connie (Talia Ryder), turns to Honey for help after her boyfriend beats her.

Honey Don’t!, Ethan Coen’s second solo directorial movie after Drive-Away Dolls (2024), has a lot going on. His collaboration with wife and working partner, Tricia Cooke, has an intriguing concept on paper and some hints at a deeper discussion of identity and community in small-town America. But, from a lacklustre start, the movie never hits the mark, with each of its disjointed elements holding it back.

After a mysterious opening that sets the stage for murder and promiscuity, the opening credits roll. Set to a rendition of “We Gotta Get Out of this Place” performed by Brittany Howard, the cast and crew’s names are added to the run-down and shut-down buildings of Southern California. It’s an artistic way to set the stage for the small-town side of America that leads to a feeling of isolation and being astray, driving for any semblance of connection and being seen, whether through strangers or the church. Unfortunately, the creativity and textual layering really end there. It doesn’t really bode so well that the opening credits are one of the most memorable moments of the movie.

There’s some good moments of filmmaking littered throughout. Intriguing scene transitions and some great family dynamics between Honey and her niece and sister, Heidi O’Donahue (Kristen Connolly), at least bring some style and worldbuilding to the story. The film has a very interesting setup for the dynamics of broken families and people, especially in a the more suburban areas of the US. Whereas small-town America is often viewed as empty and one-dimensional, it’s full of complexities and hope, pain often brought upon by its own vastness. Honey Don’t! is just the opposite. It promises mystery and dimension in a movie that is its own vacuum of nothingness.

As a comedy, there are very few laughable moments, with more just recognition of the attempt. Early in the movie, a client wipes down the chair and desk in Honey’s office, saying “COVID is still around,” which feels immediately dated. As a crime mystery story, Honey Don’t! never feels interested in keeping any plot points hidden. The story immediately tells what is happening behind the doors of Four Points Church. Honey herself isn’t painted as a truly savvy detective. It’s not that she looks inept, but more that connections just happen upon her. The film’s final twist never feels deserved, especially because the characters never have enough time to become more than one-dimensional figures in the world.

As a film noir, it’s interesting to see a more “old-fashioned” detective thrown into a modern world, and Carter Burwell’s score keeps the intrigue moving, even if the story itself is designed to find as little relevance between each scene. One editing technique that Tricia Cooke and Emily Denker used in Drive-Away Dolls is repeated here, where tension builds in one scene before cutting away to a completely different scene, then cutting back to the same scene in the next moment. It’s a very frustrating moment that only highlights how disjointed Honey Don’t! feels throughout its whole runtime. Even the film’s climax feels uninspired, as the film’s tension remains stagnant and we never reach a point where everything is coming together. The film’s climax comes with a shrug rather than a bang.

It’s even more frustrating given the talent. Margaret Qualley is really good in this film, playing a new type of role she’s not used to. Her out-of-place, almost Bogart-esque, film noir type works so well because it shouldn’t work in a film with iPhones. But, she gives it her all. And the supporting cast also has such promise. Every time Charlie Day is on screen is a treat. Chris Evans is so close to being an interesting and funny villain, but the script doesn’t give him much humour to work with. And, despite so much of the investigation revolving around this church, there’s only one scene between the investigator and reverend.

The relationship between Qualley’s Honey and Plaza’s MG Falcone is also a big draw of the film, giving two great actresses the chance to work opposite each other. And their chemistry together is great. From their first scene together, so much is said with only a few lines of dialogue. The attraction jumps from the screen. With this relationship, the screen time hurts how much attachment we feel to these characters. Too many characters and plot lines swirling around don’t give us enough time to be with MG and Honey to really care. There’s only one real scene that touches on their characters’ abusive families that allows us to feel closer, but even that feels rushed.

Honey Don’t! comes really close to touching upon something really interesting. There’s this constant discussion about the predatory nature of evangelical churches on young women, especially those from abusive households or relationships. Or even the discussion about queerness in a small town, but the film never delves all the way into any of the subjects. Honey Don’t! is so unassured in what it wants to be: a quirky, dark comedy, a film noir mystery, a queer romance? The result is a disappointing and highly forgettable movie. It had all the elements of a promising feature; a great cast featuring Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Evans in a neo-noir made by a Coen Brother. But even with the promise of his first narrative feature, Ethan Coen completely misses the mark in his second. Instead, my attention turns to his brother Joel Coen’s next solo film: Jack of Spades.

UK • USA | 2025 | 89 MINUTES | 1.85:1 | COLOUR | ENGLISH

Cast & Crew

director: Ethan Coen
writers: Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke
starring: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Charlie Day, Kristen Connolly, Gabby Beans, Talia Ryder, Billy Eichner, Josh Pafchek, Lera Abova & Jacnier.