DIRECTOR
Ethan Coen
Drive-Away Dolls, Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind

STARS
Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, Lera Abova, Gabby Beans and Charlie Day

There are three reasons I dragged myself to the screening of Honey Don’t after seeing its abysmally cringe and crass crime-caper predecessor, Drive-Away Dolls: still my number one worst movie released in 2024. This second instalment in what is described as a lesbian B-movie trilogy is again directed by one half of the Coen Brothers (Ethan), whose films I typically love, is reason number one. A second chance is warranted. Reason two, the plot links the deaths of the occupants of a flipped car in the opening scene to a mysterious church. This church immediately sound cultish and I will watch just about anything that is a critical commentary on cults operating and masquerading as various forms of Christian denominations and churches. Reason three, and I squarely confess this appeal is mostly due to the gay man in me, Honey Don’t stars a jockstrap wearing Chris Evans as the promiscuous and blaspheming Reverend of that church who is being investigated by private investigator, Honey O’Donahue (played by the very in-form Margaret Qualley).

Given just how bad Drive-Away Dolls really was, it was always going to be difficult for Honey Don’t to be worse. Thankfully, this follow-up is markedly better, though still with problems rarely associated to a Coen Brothers picture (more on that soon).

Honey Don’t is far more creative in every department, as epitomised by its opening credits and the fact its plot branches out into various directions. It often operates as a cunning crime-comedy capable of causing laughter and creating suspense as opposed to its predecessor, which was flat in tone, poorly conceived and written and far too one-dimensional in humour (that I found overly silly). A couple of scripting additions that work well in Honey Don’t involve Honey’s sister and niece, another mysterious figure in a motorcyclist who discovers those aforementioned dead bodies in the opening scene and what her involvement is in proceedings, and most aspects of Chris Evans’ Reverend character and his fellowship at Four Way Temple (yep, great name!) also brings plenty to enjoy. Even the rapidly rising popular star Margaret Qualley is better here than she was in Drive-Away Trolls, as I prefer to call it. While I am pleased by this definite improvement, it is those earlier mentioned problems that consistently keep Honey Don’t from being better than the solid enough movie that it is. Namely, where the writing takes Honey and MG (Aubrey Plaza), an officer whom Honey has an attraction to, and how it answers the inclusion of a creepy and starey old white man give the impression this was lazily pieced together on the fly. It is these types of scripting inadequacies that are barely present when Joel and Ethan write together. It begs the question: Are the Coen brothers no longer writing and directing together?

Thankfully, it is my understanding this precious partnership is only paused. According to sources I could find online, Joel and Ethan still share unfinished scripts and ideas. But before those are further developed, finished and released, Ethan’s trilogy has one more film to finalise this project. Hopefully, on a high and looking forward to the partnership resuming.

Honey Don’t is showing in cinemas across Australia from August 28th, 2025.

Moviedoc thanks Universal Pictures for the invitation to the screening of this film. 

Review by Leigh for Moviedoc

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