Review: ‘Honey Don’t!’ might be too sexy
‘Honey Don’t!’ is a raunchy pulp detective story in which a woman’s death exposes a wider web of corruption and delinquency.
While pulp detectives had their heyday in the 1930s, it’s a trend that regularly resurfaces. People are very attracted to solving the unknown. Curiosity is part of the human condition, creating a general desire to know why. It’s especially intriguing when a murder is at the centre of the mystery. What could compel someone to harm another living being? Is the reason selfish or were they acting for the greater good? It’s often that they believe the latter even though they acted in the former. In Honey Don’t!, a woman dies in a car accident, but there are suspicious circumstances surrounding her death.
Honey O’Donahue (Margaret Qualley) is a private investigator. She’s effective and, therefore, in demand. Cheating spouses make up a large portion of her clientele, but recently a woman contacted her because she feared for her life. She died before they ever met. Even though she wasn’t officially a client, Honey takes up the case. Luckily, Marty (Charlie Day) is the police detective assigned and he’s got a soft spot for the P.I. After asking around, the clues direct Honey to the Four-Way Temple. Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans) is its leader and he’s got a closet overflowing with skeletons. However, Honey’s investigation is interrupted when her niece (Talia Ryder) goes missing.
The story unfolds in an anonymous town that feels like it’s in the middle of nowhere. Rare glimpses of the horizon are flat as far as the eye can see. There are no chain stores or restaurants, just buildings with formerly bright colours and generic signs. The aesthetic suggests the 1970s, except they have modern technology, like cellphones, juxtaposed with a rolodex that Honey refuses to convert to a computer database. Even the women’s clothes look classic, but dated.
Honey is a hardened gumshoe detective, delivering quick wit in a slightly lower octave that’s reminiscent of pulp classics, such as Sam Spade and Philip Marlowe. The film plays with stereotypes, while her character is a reversal of traditional gender roles. Honey rarely spends a night alone nor is she afraid to pursue a potential suspect or lover, including Aubrey Plaza’s character. But in all situations, Honey checks her emotions at the door and can hold her own in a fight.
Meanwhile, the reverend is a degenerate and a fraud. His sermons are absurd, proclaiming “We are not macaroni!” The church is really a cover to fulfill his sexual fantasies and conceal his criminal dealings with a shady French group, who are not happy with how he’s conducting business. Marty is also playing against type. Typically, he would be the sleazy police detective that won’t stop asking Honey on a date — which he does — but it feels more like a running joke. On the other hand, he never refuses to share information with her, even when she doesn’t reciprocate, showing he really is a nice guy… or a terrible cop.
The film is the second feature from writer-director Ethan Coen and his writing partner, Tricia Cooke. Their previous outing, Drive-away Dolls, also starred Qualley as a sex-positive lesbian, but now she has more evocative one-liners (and bumper stickers). The picture feels like the raunchy version of a more conventional Coen brothers’ movie. It’s overtly sexual, featuring a surprising amount of sex and female nudity. Unfortunately, “America’s ass” remains under wraps.
However, considering there isn’t a lot to the plot, perhaps all the time in the bedroom could’ve been better spent developing the story. For instance, there’s an underlying theme of abusive men throughout the narrative. But it’s never fully explored or resolved. This threat or past memory of victimhood just looms over the women characters.
This movie lacks the pace of the filmmakers’ previous picture. It still follows two converging stories, but there’s less urgency this time around. In addition, the characters are more difficult to identify or connect with since they’re so fantastic. Consequently, it’s still expectedly eccentric, but maybe less accessible.
Director: Ethan Coen
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans
