Honey Don't: Sizzles, Before Fizzling

Like Fourth of July fireworks, the film Honey Don’t is colorful and fun to look at, delivering many bangs (sex and guns!) for your buck before quietly fading out.

Honey O’Donaghue (Margaret Qualley) is a private detective whose client dies before Honey ever gets the chance to meet her. After talking to the client’s parents, Honey investigates a link with the Four-Way Temple, meeting its unctuous leader Drew Devlin (Chris Evans). Behind closed doors, the church is selling drugs and the reverend sexually preys on confused women. Meanwhile, in her personal life, Honey’s in lust with MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza), a police officer, and tries to help Corinne, her niece who’s getting battered by a boyfriend. As further deaths circle back to the Four-Way Temple and Corinne disappears, Honey finds she can trust no one in her search for answers.

Like an escapee from a 1940s film noir. Honey pairs a red lip with her retro wardrobe; form-fitting dresses, ruby high heels, back seam stockings. She uses a rolodex instead of a computer and eschews cell phones. But the Hays Code would never have approved the constant reminder she gives hopeful police detective Marty Metakawich (Charlie Day): “I like girls.”

Though Honey’s appearance still appeals to the male gaze, the film inverts the usual film noir universe centering manipulative femme fatales. In this world, the women don’t lead the men astray, quite the opposite. The reverend is a predator. The partners of Honey’s sister and niece are abusive. Honey and MG’s fathers are terrible parents. At best, men are feeble and inconsequential, like Marty.
Though woman-focused, this world, set in Bakersfield, CA, is mostly viewed through a white lens. Honey’s Black assistant, Spider (Gabby Beans), is great at witty banter but is given little else to do. Aubrey Plaza, Puerto Rican, working class, and a woman, is a bold choice for Honey’s love interest and there are some spicy bedroom scenes, but the movie’s ending flirts with the idea of Honey ending up with someone more aesthetically aligned with herself.