Honey Don't!

For the Carl Perkins song, see Honey Don't.

Honey Don't!
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEthan Coen
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAri Wegner
Edited by
  • Tricia Cooke
  • Emily Denker
Music byCarter Burwell
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • May 24, 2025 (2025-05-24) (Cannes)
  • August 22, 2025 (2025-08-22) (United States)
Running time
89 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Honey Don't! is a 2025 American neo-noir[3][4] dark comedy[5] detective film directed by Ethan Coen, who co-wrote the screenplay with Tricia Cooke. It is the second in a "lesbian B-movie trilogy" following Coen and Cooke's Drive-Away Dolls (2024). The film stars Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Evans.

Its world premiere was at the Midnight Screenings section of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2025. It is scheduled to be theatrically released in the United States and Canada by Focus Features on August 22, 2025.

Premise

In Bakersfield, California, female private detective Honey O'Donahue investigates a woman's death and tangles with a religious cult.

Cast

Production

In January 2024, it was announced that Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Evans were set to star in the film.[6] 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,[7][8] and coming before a planned third film Go Beavers.[9] 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.[7][10] The release of this trilogy is the outcome of 20 years of writing by Coen and Cooke.[11] It was produced by Focus Features and Working Title Films.[10]

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.[12]

Principal photography began in Albuquerque, New Mexico on March 25, 2024[13][14] and wrapped on May 23.[15]

Release

Honey Don't! was selected to be screened out of competition in the Midnight Screenings section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on May 24, 2025,[16] receiving a standing ovation.[1]

The film is scheduled to be released in the United States by Focus Features on August 22, 2025, and internationally by Universal Pictures.[17]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 47% of 45 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."[18] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 51 out of 100, based on 16 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[19]

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."[20] IndieWire, on the other hand, assessed the film as "a mishmash of disparate parts," resulting in disappointment and a waste of the assembled talent. If Drive-Away Dolls was psychedelically silly, Honey seems less interested in actually developing a compelling mystery and more interested to reboot the aesthetics of film noir.[21]

The Wrap expressed the view that Coen's previous movie was more engaging, while Honey is essentially "empty at its core."[22] 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."[23]

Variety opined that it's a deliberate throwaway, a mock escapist thriller, one meant to show audience a "flaky good time,"[3] while Vulture appreciated the sexual swagger of the plot and the women's performances, in a film that could have been better.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b Tartaglione, Nancy; D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 24, 2025). "Ethan Coen's Honey Don't! Gets 6.5-Minute Ovation In Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 25, 2025.
  2. ^ "Honey Don't! (2025)". Irish Film Classification Office. July 3, 2025. Retrieved July 3, 2025.
  3. ^ a b Gleiberman, Owen (May 23, 2025). "Honey Don't!: Margaret Qualley Is Back, with Even More Panache, in the Drive-Away Dolls Companion Piece No One Asked For. But It's Throwaway Fun". Variety. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  4. ^ Davidson, Mike (May 24, 2025). "Honey Don't! noir brings Ethan Coen's inventive violence to Cannes". Reuters. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  5. ^ Pavan, Benoit (May 23, 2025). "Honey Don't!, the queer and wild black comedy from Ethan Coen". Program. Cannes Film Festival. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  6. ^ Grobar, Matt (January 24, 2024). "Margaret Qualley To Reteam With Ethan Coen On Honey Don't!; Aubrey Plaza & Chris Evans Also Set For Focus Features Comedy". Film / Casting. Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  7. ^ a b Jones, Tamera (June 23, 2024). "Ethan Coen Says 'Drive-Away Dolls' Has Something A Coen Brothers Movie Never Had". Collider. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  8. ^ Bleasdale, John (March 9, 2024). "Ethan Coen: Why I'm making films with my wife—not my brother". Saturday Review. The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  9. ^ Azzopardi, Chris (March 11, 2024). "Tricia Cook's Co-Creation with Husband Ethan Coen". A+E / Interviews. QSaltLake. Retrieved March 11, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Bergeson, Samantha (January 24, 2024). "Ethan Coen's Cult Dark Comedy Honey Don't! to Star Chris Evans, Aubrey Plaza, and Margaret Qualley". News / Breaking News. IndieWire. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  11. ^ Mitra, Debnabh (January 24, 2024). "Ethan Coen's Honey Don't! : Everything we know so far". SK Pop. MSN.com. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Grobar, Matt (April 19, 2024). "Charlie Day, Billy Eichner, Gabby Beans, Talia Ryder & 9 Others Join Ethan Coen's Honey Don't!". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Geisinger, Gabriella (March 7, 2024). "Ethan Coen's 'Honey Don't!' now filming in New Mexico". News & Features. KFTV. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  14. ^ "Honey Don't!". Casting Calls. New Mexico Film Office. March 6, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  15. ^ "That's a wrap on Honey Don't!". Instagram. New Mexico Film Office. May 23, 2024. Retrieved July 18, 2025.
  16. ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 78th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. May 8, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  17. ^ Gajewski, Ryan (April 23, 2025). "Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans' Comedy Honey Don't! Lands Summer Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 23, 2025.
  18. ^ "Honey Don't!". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  19. ^ "Honey Don't!". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  20. ^ Gyarkye, Lovya (May 23, 2025). "Honey Don't!: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans Get Stranded in Ethan Coen's Wayward Whodunit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  21. ^ Zuckerman, Esther (May 23, 2025). "Honey Don't!: Ethan Coen's Second Lesbian Caper Is a Mishmash of Parts That Don't Fit Together". IndieWire. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  22. ^ Hutchinson, Chase (May 23, 2025). "Honey Don't!: Margaret Qualley Can't Crack the Case of This Noir Misfire". The Wrap. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  23. ^ Lacson, Therese (May 23, 2025). "Even Margaret Qualley and Chris Evans Can't Save Ethan Coen's New Neo-Western B-Movie Honey Don't!". Collider. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
  24. ^ Willmore, Alison (May 23, 2025). "Honey Don't! Is Only Worth Watching For the Sexual Swagger". Vulture. Retrieved July 15, 2025.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.