Honey Don't? A Deep Dive with Mattie Lubchansky on the Coen Brothers' Latest

A Disappointing Coen Brothers Entry

• 🍯 The film "Honey Don't" is discussed as the latest offering from Ethan and Trisha Coen, concluding their series on the Coen brothers' filmographies.
• 📉 The consensus among the hosts and guest is that the movie is a significant disappointment, feeling like a "bad Cohen brothers movie" that lacks the usual "juice" and compelling dialogue.
• 🎭 While the performances by Margaret Qualley and Aubrey Plaza are noted, the overall film is described as frustrating and tonally inconsistent, particularly in its latter half.

Critiques of Tone and Narrative

• 🎭 The film is criticized for its inconsistent tone, attempting to blend broad satire with moments of genuine darkness and sadness, which ultimately feels jarring and unfunny.
• 🎬 The ending is particularly lambasted for feeling like a "shrug and a panic," undoing any positive aspects of the film and revealing a lack of clear direction.
• 🧐 The movie's attempts at subverting audience expectations, a hallmark of the Coens' work, are seen as failing to land, resulting in frustration rather than intellectual profundity.

Performances and Character Analysis

• 🌟 Margaret Qualley's performance as Honey is debated, with some finding her character a "charisma void" and "cosplay," while others admire her bravery in choosing diverse projects.
• 😈 Aubrey Plaza's portrayal of the antagonist is discussed, with her performance in the film's climax being seen as a difficult assignment that she struggled to make believable.
• 👨‍💼 Chris Evans' role as a televangelist cult leader is critiqued for relying on tired tropes about religious hypocrisy and for his overly polished on-screen persona.

Thematic Explorations and Shortcomings

• ♀️ The film attempts to explore themes of male power over women and the struggles women face in defining themselves outside of patriarchal systems.
• 💔 However, these themes are often undermined by the film's tonal issues and a perceived lack of depth in its narrative and character development.
• 🎬 The Coens' signature style of ambiguous endings, which often works thematically in their previous films, is seen as failing here, leaving the audience with a sense of dissatisfaction and confusion.

The Coen Brothers' Solo Ventures

• 🎬 The discussion touches on the perceived differences between Ethan and Joel Coen's solo directorial styles, with Ethan seeming to embrace a less serious, more experimental approach.
• ✍️ The difficulty in replicating the magic of their collaborative work is highlighted, with "Honey Don't" feeling like a pale imitation of their joint efforts.
• 🎬 The film's script is noted to have been written earlier and dusted off, contributing to a feeling that it relies on outdated comedic tropes and a surface-level critique of societal issues.