MOVIE REVIEW: DON'T WORRY DARLING

 

A 1950s housewife living with her husband in a utopian experimental community begins to worry that his glamorous company could be hiding disturbing secrets.

Director: Olivia Wilde

Cast: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, Chris Pine

Release Date: September 23, 2022

Genre: Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for sexuality, violent content and language

Runtime: 2h 2m

Review:

Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling, which has been mired in offscreen drama before its release, is glossy, intriguing in parts, but ultimately little more than a rehash of well-worn tropes.  Wilde, for her part, delivers well-constructed shots which take advantage of the gorgeous sets and wardrobing on display intercut with some cinematic tricks to give it all an unsettling feel.  Unfortunately, there is a lack of subtly right from the start which kills the majority of tension from the central mystery.  That's not to say there aren't twist and turns throughout its overlong runtime but it never takes the material into new thematic territory.  The film's saving grace is Florence Pugh who carries the film with a committed and engaging turn as a wife who feels the walls of reality closing in on her, sometimes literally.  Pugh's authenticity shines through here making you care about her character even though the endgame is fairly obvious.  She's always the most interesting person onscreen especially the script doesn't bother to give any of the supporting characters much depth if any.  Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll and Chris Pine are saddled with one note characters since the film seems content with them serving as nothing more than high end eye candy.  Populating a film with this much talent only to let it go to waste is a huge miss for the film since it could have added far more nuance to its story especially in its increasingly nonsensical final act.  Don't Worry Darling may feel fresh to people unfamiliar with its cinematic forebears like The Stepford Wives, The Truman Show, Pleasantville or Dark City but if you are then it's nothing more than a hollow rehash.  

C+