The Wasteland Reviewer

Honey Don’t! (2025) Written Review

What does Ethan Coen have up his sleeve for his latest solo directorial effort? The first film he directed after splitting from his brother was Drive-Away Dolls; a funny, campy, and fast-paced crime-comedy with plenty of lesbian energy and criminal shenanigans (led by an electric turn from Margaret Qualley). This flick clocked in under 90 minutes and offered up a fun and bonkers romp that felt both fresh and quite Coen in aesthetic. With Coen’s next effort, he delivers another Margaret Qualley led crime-comedy with plenty of lesbian energy and criminal shenanigans. Seems like Coen has quite the type when it comes to making films with his wife (Tricia Cooke). This new film even clocks in under 90 minutes as well. 

But does Coen offer up a fresh and fun romp at least during this tumultuous time for film distribution. The power of this film is just how unabashedly the film goes for it and funny commits to the tone and energy that Coen wants. The opening credit sequence even has a distinct atmosphere and personality to it that captures the personality and quirk that made so many Coens’ films iconic. There is a fresh vibe to the film, but the crisp cinematography and Carter Burwell’s substantive score make sure this feels like a Coens’ experience through and through. The cinematography from Ari Wegner gives the film a gritty feel that borderline feels like it is fever dreamlike (giving the aura of walking out of the hot desert of its setting). The crisp shots accentuate this desert setting in such an impactful way. There are no cheap or uninspired shots in this crime flick. This film is more serious than Drive-Away Dolls for sure, but it still has that Coen brand of darker comedy. The most important calling card of the Coens must be the shocking, brutal, and awkward violence that shocks and hooks the audience throughout the film. 

Does the script from Coen and Cooke live up to the energy brought about by the direction? In many ways, Honey Don’t exists in that same random, nihilistic space that films like Burn After Reading and The Big Lebowski do. Not every scene will make sense to the greater story when you watch the film and there just might be scenes that have no greater meaning. Coen is a cinematic jester who places with his audience and dangles plenty in front of their face but keeps close to the chest what it really all means (if anything). Honey is a skilled private investigator who has a bit of bad luck with some of her potential clients dying unexpectedly. She is pulled into a web of lies, deceit, and violence featuring an inept police officer, an intense femme fatale in a police uniform, a smug and horny preacher in an unhinged church, and alluring French woman who is also a femme fatale (Honey has a type for sure), and some dangerous individuals who leave a pile of bodies along the way. The film is a wild web of dominos falling with a car accident starting a whole chain of events that uncover the dark, seedy underbelly of this small desert community. The film is quite engaging and firing on plenty of cylinders (thanks to clever humor, great tension, fiery eroticism, and twists) but there is a character motivation and confrontation that feels so out of left field that it threatens to upend this whole film (and sink its final act). There is some salvation in its final moments, but this loses its opportunity to be a truly great entry in the Coens’ legacy, but it ends up being a fun, lean, and bonkers tale instead. 

Does this diverse cast of actors bring the film to another level? Qualley proves to be the crafty, lesbian muse of Coen’s individual work. Her aloof and alluring aura is something special that sparkles on screen. Her quick wit delivers plenty of great one-liners as well. Her chemistry with Aubrey Plaza is electric and volcanic. You can feel their connection explode on screen in some sexy and intense sexual encounters. Plaza always commits to her bit in this film, even when the film asks her to take things into a wild and uneven place. Chris Evans is an absolute delight as the snarky, self-absorbed, and horny preacher who channels that televangelist energy in the body of a frat boy dude bro. Lera Abova is quite alluring as she takes the audience through the opening sequence and delivers plenty of sexual tension with her onscreen counterparts. Charlie Day is delightfully funny as the goofball cop in town who is too aloof and ignorant to accomplish anything of merit. Billy Eichner even delivers a funny turn in a minor role that only requires a couple of scenes to leave an impact. But most importantly, Coen hasn’t lost the knack in finding the most perfect character actors to bring life into every minor role in the film. 

Is Honey Don’t an excellent addition to the Coen legacy? The film might not reach the quality of so many of their films, but a low tier Coen film is still better than most directors’ best films. The narrative leaves something to be desired but the rest of this bonkers ride delivers in so many ways. This is sharp filmmaking with plenty of personality. The cast is electric and brings life into every scene. If the Coens never reunite, at least we can count on one Coen to continue making Qualley-led, crime-comedies, with plenty of horny lesbian energy that will take less than 90 minutes of their time.