Honey Don't!
Written by Dilan Fernando
Warning: The following review is of a film that is part of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival and may contain spoilers for Honey Don’t!. Reader discretion is advised.
At the film’s midnight premiere in the out of competition section at the Cannes Film Festival, the audience grew restless waiting for Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s sophomore film, Honey Don’t! to begin. Playing the titular Honey O’Donahue (Margaret Qualley) reunites with Coen and Cooke for the second installment of their lesbian B-movie trilogy, beginning with Drive-Away Dolls (2023). After the cheers from the audience for the various production company title cards that filled the screen, the film began. It’s here where the audience’s enthusiasm was in limbo for the remainder of the screening. Contrary to the audience’s reaction and their perception of the film, it’s an entertaining yarn from a talented trio who hope to entertain and inspire people to make art while being themselves. If one were expecting another modern classic in the Coen Brothers’ filmography this isn’t it because this isn’t a Coen Brothers movie. It’s an Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke and Margaret Qualley movie. While waiting in the ticket holders line two patrons were talking. One mentioned to the other they had watched Drive-Away Dolls and despised it alongside Ethan Coen’s skills as a writer, director and filmmaker. The other person retorted, “Of all the films in the Coen Brothers filmography that have come to be considered great – Blood Simple (1984), Miller’s Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996), No Country for Old Men (2007) and True Grit (2010); Ethan Coen contributed half to each.”
Honey Don’t opens with the aftermath of a terrible accident, a car overturned in a ditch. Stumbling upon the scene is a moped riding French woman (Lera Abova) invoking the chic style of Anna Karina. She reaches into the wreckage and rifles through the pockets of the dead driver, a young woman, prying a ring with a strange emblem off her finger before leaving. The title sequence begins with various shots of present-day Bakersfield. Coen uses freeze-frames of dilapidated buildings with their names interwoven with the credits of those who worked on the film. This creates a sense of timelessness as the characters in the film are from a by-gone era but still have similar ideologies as the 70s era they originate from. Honey shares strong qualities similar to characters like Angie Dickinson from Police Woman (1974-1978) or Teresa Graves as Get Christie Love! (1974-1975). Reverend Dean Devlin (Chris Evans) manipulates people using religion and faith like Jim Jones, welcoming them to his own version of Jonestown by bringing them the light. These characters are lost in time and as much as they must overcome the obstacles of their own lives they must adapt to the changing culture in a modern world. Honey is true to her own values and never knuckles under when faced with adversity like Clint Eastwood in Coogan’s Bluff (1968).
Ethan Coen’s film is a fun, entertaining thrill ride residing somewhere between The Big Lebowski (1998) and Inherent Vice (2014) both of which are not really dependent on plot but the characters to drive it. Honey Don’t doesn’t work as a film being taken seriously because it makes too many jokes about the contrivances that are present in other films that recycle the same plots. It works very well as a satire, showing that the lack of characterization is where other satires falter. Honey is strong, tough, methodical and intelligent which are traits apparent in both her personal life and professional career. With help from Detective Marty Metakawich (Charlie Day) who always greets Honey with a “Honey O’Donahue to what do we owe the honor.”, she hopes to avenge the death of the young driver named Mia Novotny.
One scene that shows the synchronicity of Coen and Cooke’s talents is when Honey visits Mia’s parents’ house to gain some more information about her interests. Honey looks around Mia’s room as her parents stand in the doorway, analysing various items that could’ve caused her death. Mia’s mother mentions that she recently joined a church downtown. Honey asks if Mia ever took the bus to which her mother says, “She had a car. We drive, we don’t take the bus.” Mia’s mother asks her husband for reassurance, “Do you take the bus?” He responds, “Hell no. I drive.” This scene demonstrates the wit, comedy and diligence that Coen and Cooke both have in their filmmaking abilities while emphasizing the central theme of the film – leadership and dominion over one’s life.
Dilan Fernando graduated with a degree in Communications from Brock University. ”Written sentiments are more poetic than spoken word. Film will always preserve more than digital could ever. Only after a great film experience can one begin to see all that life has to offer.“