Plot
In Bakersfield, California, private investigator Honey O'Donahue is called to the scene of a fatal car accident by homicide detective Marty Metakawich. Honey recognizes the dead driver as Mia Novotny, a prospective client who had asked to meet with her that day.
Later Mr. Siegfried hires Honey to check whether his boyfriend is cheating. Honey visits her sister Heidi and her nieces and nephews, including rebellious teenager Corinne. Her police contact, MG Falcone, provides Mia's address. Honey speaks with Mia's parents, learning that she became a member of the Four-Way Temple led by Reverend Drew Devlin.
Unbeknownst to his congregation, Drew is using his church to sell drugs. As he's having sex with a congregant, he's interrupted by his henchman Shuggie, who tells him one of their drivers overdosed on their drugs. Their liaison to their suppliers Chère—who removed a Temple ring from Mia's body before police arrived on the scene—warns Drew that Mia's death will bring unwanted attention to their operation, but he claims not to have been involved.
Hector, one of Drew's dealers, panics when a customer is unable to pay, and propositions him instead. Hector fatally runs the man over while escaping. Drew sends Shuggie to tie up loose ends, but after he kills Hector's grandmother, Hector disarms and kills him. While Drew is in bed with more congregants, Hector ambushes him, but Drew evades and overpowers Hector before shooting him with his own gun.
Honey learns that Mr. Siegfried's boyfriend was the man run over by Hector. She and MG have sex after a charged encounter in a bar. Corinne is beaten by her boyfriend, and goes to Honey's house for help, where she meets MG. Later Corinne is later stalked by an old man who tells her he loves her. Honey questions Drew, who defends his various suspicious contacts by his position as a minister. MG and Honey sleep together again, bonding over their childhood abuse as MG shares that her violent father was killed in combat overseas.
Corinne is missing, and Honey brutally questions her boyfriend before she is approached by the old man—her and Heidi's estranged father—who attempts to reconnect. Honey fears that her niece is in danger of following Mia's path, and learns from Marty that Mia was stabbed to death before being placed in her car, and that the bodies of Shuggie and Hector's grandmother have been linked to the Temple.
Chère has sex with Drew before terminating their partnership and murdering him in his bed. Honey sees her leaving, but Marty is unconvinced there is reason to search the Temple. Seeking help, Honey goes to MG's home, and finds that MG has kidnapped Corinne. MG stabs Honey, who is forced to kill her with her own service weapon before collapsing.
Honey awakens in an ambulance, having been rescued alongside Corinne. MG is discovered to have been responsible for the unsolved murders of two sex workers and Mia, whose death she staged as a traffic fatality. Later, noticing each other at a stoplight, Honey flirts with Chère.
Production
In January 2024, it was announced that Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Evans were set to star in the film. [7] The screenplay was written by married couple Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, as the second in a "lesbian B-movie trilogy", following 2024's Drive-Away Dolls , which also starred Qualley and was also a lesbian-themed caper film, [8] [9] and coming before a planned third film Go Beavers. [10] The duo characterized the film as a dark comedy similar in tone to earlier Coen brothers works, such as Raising Arizona , but with sexual content the brothers did not typically include in their collaborations. [8] [11] The release of this trilogy is the outcome of 20 years of writing by Coen and Cooke. [12] It was produced by Focus Features and Working Title Films. [11]
In April 2024, Charlie Day, Billy Eichner, Gabby Beans, Talia Ryder, Lera Abova, Jacnier, Kristen Connolly, Lena Hall, Don Swayze, Josh Pafchek, Kale Browne, Alexander Carstoiu, and Christian Antidormi joined the cast. [13]
Principal photography began in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 25, 2024 [14] [15] and wrapped on May 23. [16]
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 46% of 171 critics' reviews are positive.The website's consensus reads: "Disparate parts and desperate measures spell defeat for Ethan Coen this time around in a romp that tries to cast a wide net but will ultimately leave audiences saying, Honey Don't." [19] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 46 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. [20]
The Hollywood Reporter lauded the performances and some elements of the film's "world-building" as well as the "gallery of strong supporting characters," but concluded it all felt like a "series of gags with nowhere to go." [21] IndieWire , on the other hand, assessed the film as "a mishmash of disparate parts," further opining that "[w]hereas Drive-Away Dolls was psychedelically silly — allowing it to get away with more of its slipshod plotting — Honey Don't! aims for a spin on noir but has zero interest in actually developing a compelling mystery." [22] The Wrap expressed the view that Coen's previous movie was more engaging, while Honey is essentially "empty at its core." [23] Valnet's Collider review found Margaret Qualley's performance to be "a gem" and the film embracing a certain modern "Wild, Wild West vibe" with moments of laugh-out-loud, slapstick humor. It concludes that plot holes might make Honey hardly a perfect film, but for people who like film noir this might be another "slam dunk." [24] Sean Burns of WBUR wrote, "This weirdly inert neo-noir just lies there on the screen, baking in the California desert sun." [25]
Variety opined that it's a deliberate throwaway, a mock escapist thriller, one meant to show audience a "flaky good time," [4] while Vulture appreciated the sexual swagger of the plot and the women's performances, in a film that could have been better. [26]
