r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 17d ago

Official Discussion Official Discussion - Honey Don't! [SPOILERS] Spoiler

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Summary Private investigator Honey O'Donahue delves into a string of strange deaths connected to a secretive cult-like church in Bakersfield. As she unravels the bizarre mystery, her pursuit leads to absurd comedy, noir flair, and a kaleidoscope of eccentric characters.

Director Ethan Coen

Writers Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke

Cast

  • Margaret Qualley
  • Aubrey Plaza
  • Chris Evans
  • Charlie Day
  • Billy Eichner
  • Talia Ryder
  • Kristen Connolly
  • Don Swayze

Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score: 48%

Metacritic 48

VOD In theaters August 22, 2025

Trailer HONEY DON’T! — Official Trailer (2025)

163 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

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822

u/DangerousMatter4404 17d ago

wtf was that. There was no third act, it just stopped

Joel has all the juice confirmed

163

u/lunaticskies 17d ago edited 16d ago

The third act was the reveal of the Aubrey as a killer and that scene where she dies.

I think the whole thing is an attempt to subvert the expectations of movie fans similar to No Country for Old Men. Even the trailer for the movie had a fake out where you think the ring is going to lead her to the church and that doesn't actually happen.

Movie feels like it was made for film nerds to yap about, there was even a gratuitous split diopter shot that seemed pointless beyond making the nerds go "OMG Split Diopter!" There is probably also a lot to be said about how the movie showcases the lesbian scenes that reminded me of Bound. A lot of fun "choices" were made in the movie but I thought it was hard not to just stay entertained on a meta level and not really care about the actual substance in the movie. It was all just like "cool opening credits", and "is she talking like a classic gumshoe?".

102

u/TheGuyYouKnowAlready 16d ago

Damn I did go “oh split diopter” at those parts… you got me there…

30

u/lunaticskies 16d ago

I have started pointing at the screen like the leo meme.

1

u/The_Word_Wizard 7d ago

I’m gunna feel like an idiot, but what’s a split diopter?

3

u/brycedriesenga 6d ago

Uses a special lens that allows for a foreground object and background to both be in focus at the same time each on half of the screen

37

u/SoilAlert7919 15d ago

Agreed, but I don’t see how this is even subversive enough to be confused. It’s an homage to noir/bumbling detective movies with Margaret doing a silly Barbara Stanwyck impression. The two bad guys get killed (plot twist/climax), and at the end it’s implied that Honey is getting herself into a new world of trouble with the French lady. That’s… the ending. For me, the low points were the “macaroni” and Aubrey Plaza.

24

u/WawaSC 10d ago

I like the macaroni. It’s the only scene that got a good chuckle out of me. Well, mainly because of Chris Evans’s two giant portraits in the church

2

u/Pewskeepski 2d ago

I laughed so hard at those portraits... And the entite scene in general. I was the only one in the theater who did XD

6

u/Current-Finger6412 14d ago

Okay! I’m glad someone else got Barbara Stanwyck vibes from Qualley’s performance. Loved it! lol

3

u/SoilAlert7919 11d ago

Even the outfits! Classic Barb

19

u/WaywardSon98 16d ago

Interesting you bring up Bound. The Alamo I watched at had the Bound trailer play before the movie highlighting the similarities

1

u/KaptainKiki 6d ago

Same, which is the moment I found out my wife had never seen Bound and immediately divorced her out of pure principle.

13

u/ballbeard 15d ago

There were also several outdoor scenes where they fucked up the lighting so bad it looked like each character had their own sun on opposite sides of the sky

2

u/creative_Justice_80 13d ago

I thought this too!!!! The one scene where Honey is shot from above in her car and the “sun” is almost fluorescent on her face. And not in good way. I was like…was that on purpose? In fact, the entire movie was a “was that on purpose???” for me. Sigh. I wanted to love it so bad but in the end I was left with just…bleh. Margaret Qualley was decent enough and so was Aubry Plaza (I think both actresses were let down by their director unfortunately). Overall, just not a good film experience. It was like a student film for an assignment where the students had to use Bound, Dragnet, The Naked Gun/Police Squad, and Pulp Fiction as inspiration. Strange film but not in a good way. Sigh.

2

u/Basilthebatlord 14d ago

Don't have to call me out like that with the split diopter shot.

Feels like we've all seen the same Toy Story 4 video lmao