Honey Don’t! – Movie Reviews by Ry!

Honey Don’t! – Priest, Murders and Family: A Life of Investigations …

The joy of what can be is also a smokescreen of what is there.  Through our everyday, things come and go, but what becomes of the moment is a genuine touch of reactions.  A capture of the everyday can be tantalizing, one that can drive storytelling through indifference.  In film, that ‘everyday’ is a bend that can tantalize characters and drive a journey that weaves a unique draw that if done right, is a risk worth taking.  In this review, I look at the latest dark crime thriller to hit the big screen.  Even when the journey is left with no real footing, Honey Don’t! is a character tale that shows that every moment can be a risky proposition.

As private investigator Honey O’Donahue goes about her every day, a series of strange murders drags her into a mysterious case where her instincts may lead to something unwanted in her small town.  With any film, the aspect of building unique draws becomes a manner of what is the aim.  No matter genre or premise, the filmmakers have to provide some aim of where to go.  For this story, we come into this world through the drop-in method, where we witness a specific car accident.  From here, the story leads to another scene of sexual obscurity that introduces us to Honey O’Donahue (Margaret Qualley).  After a series of plot driven moments, she is called to the crime scene because they believe that the woman who died (in the accident) is one of her ‘clients’.  From here, the film trails off into a series of scenes that blend instinctive dialogue with aloof like character interactions.  As O’Donahue interacts with people around town to solve her case(s), a sense of raw ambiguity undercuts the typical ‘solving the mystery’ theme.  It is here where two things the filmmakers do that will make or break the experience of this film’s journey:

Slice of Life with Satire

The filmmakers build a perspective lens of the ‘everyday’ through the spastic like interactions between O’Donahue and the cast of characters that live in this small town.  From Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans) to officer MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza), every scene is driven with an open like zeal that bends clichés through odd dialogue and reactivity to a chopped-up directive.  That odd reveling in ‘life’s moments’ drives a satirical aspect of ‘what would you do’ in these peculiar scenes.  It adds a quirk like twist to the generalization of the investigation, but it also becomes a red herring that dilutes the fact … there is no real story.

A Journey without Merit

With a dialogue like journey, what grips the audience should be a sense of forward momentum towards something.  No matter if it’s a quest like format or a revelation trope, there should be a means to an end.  As O’Donahue traverses the small town to uncover the truth of these murders, each moment stands out through an individual guise that trails off in random accords for the sake of an effect.  As the allure of the mystery connects scenes, the oddities start to overwhelm cohesion.  When the layers of intrigue start to lose value through convenience, the motives start to fall within the generalities of the moment. 

Through the clash of obscurity and enjoyment, the focal point of O’Donahue helps to alleviate some of the randomness (at hand).  Once certain truths come to be, we head into a climax that feels like a rush job, but leads to a character moment that shines brightly on who O’Donahue truly is to this small town.  Honey Don’t! is a journey of unique twists and missteps.  If you are a fan of dialogue storytelling, crime dramas or dark satire films, there is fun to be had.  For everyone else, I say it is worth taking a chance on seeing on the big screen at the right price.

Full Score – 3 out of 5 (Theater Discount)