Ethan Coen and his brother Joel, when working together, are known for their quirky, genre-bending films, off-of-center characters, and skewed movie themes and styles.
Ethan, now directing on his own, and his spouse Tricia Cooke have co-written Honey Don’t!, a 90-minute film offering the same kind of rich portrayals as the brothers, but with a thinner story line.
This comedy-drama romp, set in a colorless, dusty Bakersfield, opens with its credits shown over short scenes of the bleak town.
Margaret Qualley as private detective Honey O’Donahue is dressed to kill as she climbs down a rocky ravine to investigate the suspicious death of her client, shown hanging upside down in her overturned vehicle, her arm swinging gently in the breeze.
Qualley is wonderful as the tall, glamorous dick, red-lipped and full of control.
Honey’s inquiries lead her to the local police department where she meets Officer Falcone, a terrific Aubrey Plaza who soon beds down with Honey in several graphic sex scenes. Together they become aware of the possible involvement of a local revival preacher in the death they are investigating. Chris Evans as the Reverend Devlin clearly enjoys portraying an over-the-top preacher with a penchant for all the women in his white-robed congregation.
The cinematography of a Coen brothers movie is unique, and Honey Don’t! includes many frames that demonstrate their typical patterns: the Reverend viewed thru the V of his partner’s legs, a boiling teapot filling the screen, a creepy old man at his bus stop seen from above.
The movie is full of rich, quirky, but two-dimensional characters who are loosely connected to the investigation or to Honey and Falcone—so many characters that we glimpse in just enough time to realize their weirdness. Among these, Charlie Day stands out as a police detective who ignores Honey’s preference for “girls” in his relentless but futile hits on her.
The thin but complicated story line and the connections of its characters are difficult to follow, but I think Coen and Cooke likely don’t care. The plot is only a vehicle to present the characters, well played by all, in a film style that is equally edgy. It’s not so much a comedy-drama as an opportunity to use an excellent cast in brief scenes that could be short stories by themselves.
Humor is light. Shock is thick. If you’re into characterizations, Honey Don’t! is a “Do” for you.
Editor’s Note: Honey Don’t! is now playing at The SLO Film Center at the Palm Theatre.