Warning: This Review contains some Spoilers.

On October 1, 2022, friends and I finally saw the big, fall-buzz movie Don’t Worry Darling. This film is directed by Olivia Wilde and stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Nick Kroll, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, and Kiki Layne. Produced by Warner Brothers, this film had quite a lot on the line for it due to the company’s merger with Discovery that landed its reputation in murky waters . Since this film is only one of two major theater-released blockbusters on the company’s slate this year, there were high expectations. To be honest, at least in my view when watching the trailer in the early summer, I was so intrigued and thought it could be a heavy Oscar contender. That was wishful thinking.

To understand this movie, you practically have to first understand the drama that surrounded it through the press and promotional stretch leading up to the release. This article goes much more in depth, but I will try my best to summarize. Shia LeBeouf was originally supposed to play the lead character Jack Chambers, but when the pandemic freed up Harry Styles’ schedule, Olivia Wilde threw Shia under the bus to give Harry the part. Wilde and Styles seemingly had a little fling, but many speculate that it was for attention. Olivia Wilde was then served divorce papers from her ex Jason Sudeikis while on a convention stage, which made matters worse. Suddenly, rumors sparked that there was a feud between lead Florence Pugh and Wilde fueled by a lack of a press push by Pugh. Concurrently, LeBeouf and Wilde were publicly feuding about why he was fired (I think it’s pretty obvious). There was also a text message leak between Pugh and LeBeouf which just added complexity. Then, once the press officially began, there was lots of tension at the film’s festival premiere in Venice. Another cast member was seated between each Wilde, Styles, and Pugh which all but confirmed the drama rumors. Also at this film premiere, Harry Styles allegedly spat on Chris Pine and made out with Nick Kroll. Pugh stayed out of much of the rest of the press for the film and then finally it was released. Met with mixed reviews, I am here to give you mine.

The film immediately immerses the audience in a 1950s-esque, perfect suburb community with stereotypical family dynamics. Florence Pugh plays Alice, the stay-at-home wife of Jack Chambers (Harry Styles). You see her and the other wives live a groundhog-day lifestyle of cleaning, doing laundry, cooking dinner, then pleasuring their husbands when they get home. When at a community party held by the “leader” of the area, played by Chris Pine, goes awry by a woman (Kiki Layne) questioning why they are all in this simulation-like environment, Pugh’s character starts having diverging thoughts as well. This is what leads to the main, perhaps psychological story line that emerges as you follow Alice.

As the story went on, I immediately noticed motifs such as a red plane, Jack Chambers’ comments to Alice, Alice humming, every couple having a similar story, etc. which I suppose added some depth to the story.  But, I kept thinking to myself that this movie feels like it thinks it is smarter than it is. The 1950s simulation, perfect life theme has been done numerous times before including in WandaVision, The Truman Show, and Black Mirror. In the press, Olivia Wilde acted as though this was some ground-breaking, insightful film and honestly it felt more like a mashup of what has already been done around feminism, family dynamics, etc.

I will say that the movie did have many twists and turns that I did not expect, mainly in the way that Alice’s story line evolves. The audience learns of the unique situation/dynamic that Pugh and Styles’ characters are in. Pugh’s acting is genuinely fantastic as she learns more of the hellish-environment she is living in and why she is there. But, the same cannot be said about Styles, Wilde, and the other leads. I found a lot of the acting flat which made the actions more predictable and killed some of the depth of the story. I know Harry Styles is a pretty face, but in my opinion he was not the right fit for the big role he played. Also, (SPOILER) his transformation into a gamer, depressed, lonely man in the real world was so jarring, scary, and dare I say appalling. He just looked ROUGH and unrecognizable, which again could have been the point but I just did not like that dynamic of the story.

Not to mention, the press and Wilde in general glanced over the importance of Kiki Layne’s character in the film. The story line literally would not be there without her, she actually had great acting skills, and I don’t appreciate how she was basically forgotten about.

When the film ended (SPOILER) with a simple deep breath noise from Pugh, I was simply not satisfied and kind of confused. There could have been so much more from this movie if it had a better, more encompassing ending. To be honest, I expected a lot more out of this film and while I was not unhappy with my choice to watch it, I was disappointed with the result. By all means though, I highly encourage everyone to go out and see this film just because of the drama and hype around it. There are many differing opinions on this one, so please go and see for yourself if you should worry.

 

 

 

 

 

References:

https://nofilmschool.com/what-exactly-going-warner-bros-discovery

https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/dont-worry-darling-drama-explained/florence-pugh-feud

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/dont_worry_darling/reviews

https://www.npr.org/2022/09/23/1124694418/we-talk-dont-worry-darling-this-time-with-spoilers