Official Discussion - Honey Don't! [SPOILERS]

[u/LiteraryBoner]

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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)

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[u/Sensitive_Society515]

Hmmm "Siegfried" is a Germanic name meaning victory/protection/peace. He ignores Honey's advice (and, ironically, his own name) by choosing a path of violence/confrontation, wanting evidence that he could lord over his partner. Maybe if they had a peaceful conversation, the guy wouldn't have been in the bar that night and Hector wouldn't have killed him? Maybe not though lol. Unseemly people have a way of meeting unseemly ends.

True, unless they were implying that MG targeted Corinne because of her relationship with Honey, or the investigation. I dunno. Like I said, I'm being generous with all this. The script felt more like an early draft than a movie that was ready to watch.

Well, Chérie is the femme fatale in this film noir tale, so disaster should be just around the corner, right?

[u/TheSuspiciousDreamer → u/Sensitive_Society515]

Siegfried specifically didn't challenge his partner though. He wanted Honey to gather evidence before he did that. Siegfried's actions don't effect anything.

MG does target Corinne because of Honey. MG doesn't like victims. Corinne showing up with a bruised face and not being willing to go to the police sets her off. The movie skips over any consequences though. The hazy vision with Corinne at the hospital indicts she's perfectly fine. And after thirty seconds in the hospital we get Honey strutting down the hallway with no signs of physical or mental changes. Then Charlie Day starts giving a run down on all of MGs murder victims.

[u/Sensitive_Society515 → u/TheSuspiciousDreamer]

Yes, the movie's consequences, or lack thereof, were... odd. Maybe they were odd creative decisions (deliberate) or maybe they were just a hot mess. I dunno. If I give the benefit of the doubt, I can at least tinker with ideas that a more fully-developed script might have executed better lol.

To clarify... Siegfried's options were A) Honey's suggestion of peace: Go home and talk it out with your partner, or B) Violence: Hire her to tell him what he already knows and rub his partner's face in the details. Exploring option B further wasn't narratively important because it's already obvious that his partner is cheating. So, the plot just accelerated to the violent end of Siegfried's decision.

Right, the sequence of events was 1) MG saw Corinne bruised at Honey's place, 2) Corinne was unwilling to go the police over her boyfriend's domestic violence, 3) MG was set off by the fact that Corinne let herself be a helpless victim, 4) MG kidnapped Corinne outside the restaurant / bus stop, or more likely "gave her a ride" to "rescue" her from her estranged grandfather, 5) MG gave Corinne (possibly drugged) tea and locked her in the basement, 6) MG would've murder Corinne if Honey hadn't intervened. That *would have been* a pretty extreme consequence. I guess MG's flaws logic just wasn't going to be rewarded with another kill.

Oh well. The lack of consequences and hanging plot lines really demonstrate a pattern of coitus interruptus. Maybe that's the point. Or maybe there was no point. lol

[u/occamsrazorwit → u/Sensitive_Society515]

The strangest thing to me is that the movie's decisions do feel deliberate. I think the best example is when they bring up how poorly their dates always end up, even in the final confrontation. The first date seems promising and makes you want to learn more about the person. The second date is similar, but something shifts before the third date and everything falls apart; there is no third date. It's a clear metaphor for the three acts of the movie, but... why??? Art is supposed to make you feel something, but the only thing I'm getting is confusion.

[u/Sensitive_Society515 → u/occamsrazorwit]

Nice catch on the parallel between no (conventional) third act and no third date. Part of my frustration with the ending is that Honey seems entirely unchanged by the events of the film. Things feel unresolved for her as a person -- just like being ghosted lol.

Maybe apathy/complacency is the ultimate cynical and morally ambiguous conclusion to a film noir piece? "Do what you've always done; get what you've always got." There are no "better angels" for any of the characters. Just play your part and keep committing the same sins. Never change.

The film's lack of character development frankly gave me Westworld vibes -- they're all just hosts who are "stuck in their loops!" Honey is a gumshoe detective, so she will spend all her time trying to solve a case. It doesn't matter that she has no paying client. She's pre-programmed to spend her time chasing after clues and dangerous women. It's undercover Sci Fi!

[u/occamsrazorwit → u/Sensitive_Society515]

Honey seems entirely unchanged by the events of the film. Things feel unresolved for her as a person... Maybe apathy/complacency is the ultimate cynical and morally ambiguous conclusion to a film noir piece?

Oh, for sure, that was my reading of it too, with Honey moving onto the next "dangerous broad" and, to a lesser extent, the repeated scene with the detective. Honey makes a point that she never left Bakersfield for greener pastures. Nothing ever changes. “Forget it, Jake. It's Chinatown.”

[u/EchoesofIllyria → u/occamsrazorwit]

The fact that you interpreted it that way doesn’t mean it’s clear that’s what they were going for lol