HONEY DON'T! (HBO MAX) (2026)

SYNOPSIS: Honey Don't! is a dark comedy about Honey O'Donahue, a small-town private investigator, who delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church.

MOVIE REVIEW:

Ethan Coen returns alongside his longtime editor, producer, and wife Tricia Cooke for the second instalment in his planned "lesbian B-movie trilogy."

The film once again stars Margaret Qualley (following Drive-Away Dolls) in the lead role as Honey O’Donahue, a private investigator operating in the small town of Bakersfield. The story opens with an intriguing prologue: a woman named Mia dies in a fatal car accident shortly after contacting Honey, fearing that something terrible was about to happen to her. Unfortunately, she dies before revealing any crucial information.

Driven by curiosity, Honey takes on the case, which leads her to the questionable Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans), a shady figure surrounded by a group of incompetent henchmen. At the same time, Honey begins a romantic relationship with a police officer, MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza). As if that weren’t enough, her teenage niece Corrine (Talia Ryder) suddenly goes missing after suffering abuse from her boyfriend, and Honey’s estranged father (Kale Browne) reappears, hoping to reconcile.

Honey Don’t ultimately ends up as another muddled effort from Coen. It aims to be a neo-noir dark crime comedy, but the excessive sex, gratuitous nudity, and bursts of violence overshadow what could have been an engaging, pulpy mystery. This is especially disappointing given its brisk runtime of just 89 minutes.

Reverend Drew Devlin is arguably the most interesting character. His bizarre sermons featuring references to macaroni add a layer of absurd humour. Beneath that eccentricity, however, he is clearly a fraud who exploits his followers and engages in sleazy dealings with a mysterious group referred to as “the French.” Unfortunately, the film never fully explores his motivations or schemes, as Coen and Cooke seem more interested in juggling inconsequential subplots and indulgent detours that disrupt the narrative momentum.

To his credit, Evans fully commits to the role, embracing the character’s sleazy charm. Plaza does her best with a paper-thin role, as does Charlie Day as a detective with a soft spot for Honey. Qualley, as always, is charismatic and highly watchable, but she ultimately deserves a stronger script.

At this point, it’s hard to say whether anticipation for Coen’s third instalment remains. There are fleeting moments that hint at his signature style and energy, but they never quite materialise into something cohesive. In the end, Honey Don’t is a murder mystery that fails to deliver a satisfying payoff despite its promising setup.  

MOVIE RATING:

Review by Linus Tee