Actress Olivia Wilde was on track to be one of the next great filmmakers. Her directorial debut, Booksmart (2019), received favorable reviews from critics and audiences alike. Her sophomore directorial endeavor led to a bidding war between eighteen studios, and with a star-studded cast, many believed Don’t Worry Darling would be another hit.
However, In the months leading up to the film’s release it became almost impossible to avoid the headlines of conflict and drama that embroiled the production. Last minute casting changes, as well as Olivia Wilde being served divorce papers while presenting the film at CinemaCon, were only the beginning. Before filming had even wrapped, Wilde began dating leading man and pop star Harry Styles. Rumors began circulating that this relationship made others on set uncomfortable, including the other star of the film, Florence Pugh.
These rumors spiraled, leading to the idea that the Don’t Worry Darling set was awash in bitterness and infighting. Pugh’s lack of comment or promotion for the film seemed to confirm her wish to distance herself from the project. But then, cinematographer Matthew Libatique claimed Don’t Worry Darling was the “most harmonious set” he had ever worked on. All this isn’t even scratching the surface of “spit-gate,” the viral moment where Harry Styles appeared to spit on co-star Chris Pine during the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
The drama has kept the film in people’s minds for months now, testing the limits of the theory that all press is good press. Unfortunately for audiences, the actual film is lackluster when compared to the spectacle leading up to release.
Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) are a young couple living in the company town of Victory, California in the 1950s. During the day, Alice stays home keeping house and spending time with the other wives in the neighborhood, while Jack and the other men go off to work. The town and company are run by a charismatic man named Frank (Chris Pine) and his wife Shelley (Gemma Chan). Slowly, Alice begins to realize that things are not what they seem in Victory, and there may be more to her ideal life than first meets the eye.
To start on a positive note, Florence Pugh as leading lady Alice absolutely carried the entire movie. This is Florence’s moment, and the rest of the cast is just there to support. Alice as a character is fully embodied, and Pugh’s performance draws the viewer into her world of flawed perfectionism.
The same cannot be said about Pugh’s co-lead Harry Styles. Styles is most well known as a former member of boyband One Direction, and his successful solo music career. Don’t Worry Darling isn’t his first foray into acting, but it may likely become his most forgettable. Watching him alongside Pugh feels like seeing a community theater actor go toe to toe with an Oscar winner. It’s hard not to laugh at some of Jack’s violent outbursts, which is unfortunate considering the very real horror in the hyper-masculine culture present in Victory.
While the facial expressions of some of the actors may not provide much to look at, the landscapes and shot compositions sure do. The bright, arid scenery of the California desert meshes perfectly with the colorful pastel style of everything in the town, from cars to clothes. All that brightness can at some points feel a little nauseating to look at, which is all by design. The perfection of the scenery and color add to the overall feeling of discomfort the movie is attempting to induce in the audience.
The plot of this film definitely takes some time to get going, which for a thriller can be frustrating, especially since the buildup isn’t worth it. Don’t Worry Darling spends too much time on the first act, leaving the ending rushed and underdeveloped. Not to mention the almost non-existent worldbuilding. The script has some really interesting ideas and builds a world where the audience wants to know more and produces questions about how the fictional world operates. But the ending leaves many of those questions unanswered. The film makes sure you know what it needs to say, but not much else about the overall storyline. The ending is riddled with out of nowhere plot twists leaving audiences unsatisfied and wanting more.
Don’t Worry Darling has a prescient, if muddled, story to tell, as it attempts to address the very real threats of misogynistic violence that women face. However, the feminist ideals the film brings up don’t begin to scratch the surface of the problems with the modern patriarchy. There are only a few women of color in the film, and both their characters suffer more than others. This film feels like an example of white women making films about fictional problems, while ignoring the very real problems of racism and exclusion in some feminist circles. This is not to say the film’s message isn’t important or relevant. But something about the way Don’t Worry Darling goes about it just doesn’t quite sit right.
If not for the offscreen excitement, Don’t Worry Darling would likely have gone down as Olivia Wilde’s sophomore flop, and maybe gotten some positive reviews praising the feminist elements. Instead, all focus is on what supposedly went on behind the camera. And honestly with the mediocre story in front of the camera, it’s not all that surprising. Hopefully the inevitable tell-all behind the scenes mini-series is slightly more entertaining than the film itself.
2.5/5 STARS