‘Honey Don’t’ review: Margaret Qualley plays a PI in Ethan Coen’s slight California comedy

Dir: Ethan Coen. US/UK. 2025. 90mins

The saving grace of director Ethan Coen’s uneven however charming noir-comedy is its title character. As sensible, tough-talking personal eye Honey O’Donahue, Margaret Qualley offers Honey Don’t! with its crackle as she investigates a deadly automobile crash that appears like homicide. With modest ambitions and a slender runtime, the movie proves to be an attractive, amusing time – regardless of being pretty forgettable.

Most gratifying when it rides together with its quick-witted antiheroine

Honey Don’t, which performs Cannes in an out-of-competition Midnight slot, is Coen’s second solo narrative function after final yr’s Drive-Away Dolls, additionally starring Qualley, and the ensemble right here contains Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans. Releasing within the US on August 22, Honey Don’t! by no means aspires to the outrageous comedic heights of Coen’s beloved movies with brother Joel, and as such could also be a extra profitable proposition in a while streaming.

In sleepy, sunsoaked Bakersfield, California, the no-nonsense Honey (Qualley) works as a personal detective. A younger native girl named Mia not too long ago died when her automobile careened off a twisty mountain street, however Honey doesn’t imagine it was an accident — particularly as a result of Mia inquired about her companies the day earlier than the crash. The clues level towards a sleazy reverend named Drew (Evans), who preaches a gospel of kindness however is quietly concerned in myriad felony actions.

Very like Drive-Away Dolls, Honey Don’t! is written by Coen and his partner Tricia Cooke, and prominently options out-and-proud lesbian characters whereas criticising America’s conservative non secular tendencies. However in contrast to the 2024 movie, this new comedy has a memorable fundamental character, who’s lusted after by hapless police detective Marty (Charlie Day) and patronised by the smug Drew. Wherever she goes, Honey is underestimated and judged solely by her magnificence, however her regular provide of withering one-liners appealingly places the dumb males round her of their place.

Coen introduces a romantic subplot by having Honey meet MG (Plaza), a snarky cop who immediately piques her curiosity. It’s telling that Qualley and Plaza’s chemistry is much extra richly realised than the movie’s cartoonish male characters, creating a way that these two ladies have discovered an oasis in one another amidst this parched California desert local weather. Honey Don’t! additionally delivers legitimately steamy love scenes that convey character and even present the occasional chortle.

Elsewhere, the movie’s whodunit fails to generate a lot suspense. Actually, the plot is simply an excuse to look at Honey confront potential suspects and slowly put the puzzle collectively. Qualley conveys rather a lot by means of stillness, and he or she and Coen have clearly conceived the character as a profitable combination of two noir sorts: the cynical gumshoe and the seductive femme fatale. However regardless of Honey’s steely exterior, Qualley additionally manages to find this personal eye’s barely softer facet as soon as Honey goes in search of her lacking niece Corinne (Talia Ryder), who could also be related to this homicide. It’s a efficiency that’s each sly and grounded, buoyed by Qualley’s piercing, seen-it-all glare.

Followers of the Coens, who haven’t made an image collectively since 2018’s The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs, will certainly spot Honey Don’t!’s similarities to the brothers’ earlier work — particularly, the arid landscapes of No Nation For Outdated Males and the farcical supporting characters of comedies like Burn After Studying. To make certain, this movie lacks the ingenious storytelling and killer jokes of the Coens’ finest work, preferring a extra laid-back tone. (Even the moments of brutal violence don’t possess the standard visceral shock.)

Sadly, the movie’s breezy method additionally results in some overly broad comedy — most notably from Evans as the sexy, scheming preacher. Neglect the blokes: Honey Don’t! is most gratifying when it rides together with its quick-witted antiheroine, even when one needs the automobile she was in had a little bit extra oomph.