Don’t Worry Darling, 2022.
Directed by Olivia Wilde.
Starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, Kate Berlant, Douglas Smith, Ari’el Stachel, Asif Ali, Timothy Simons, Sydney Chandler, Wylie Quinn Anderson, Mariah Justice, Michelle Ells, and Marcello Julian Reyes.
SYNOPSIS:
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 has a clear-cut vision for Don’t Worry Darling, but that doesn’t necessarily translate to captivating. Taking place in a 1950s utopian cul-de-sac, the women are the housewives, and the men head off to work every day at a seemingly underground research center where they cannot disclose what is trying to be accomplished to their partners. Essentially, it’s the period rebuilt (admittedly with fashionable costumes with bright colors that fit into such an idyllic, paradise environment) but inside an off-kilter area hiding psychological and sci-fi secrets.
There are oddities about the food the women are instructed to prepare, seismic activity, the housewives are instructed not to go beyond a certain point (and nowhere near the men’s place of work), and when they are home alone, they are treated to hypnotic brainwashing self-help speak designed to ensure their submissiveness and remind them of how good they have life.
Little is known about this community, other than Frank (Chris Pine) founded it and is leading the charge in the research. He claims it’s about unlocking a human being’s full potential, among many other things that are a hell of a lot of nothing. By design, Chris Pine is terrific here, saying nothing despite rambling about purpose every time his character gets a chance to speak.
Ingredients for solid mystery are here, but Don’t Worry Darling frustratingly telegraphs its shocks. The screenwriting team of Katie Silberman, Carey Van Dyke, and Shane Van Dyke have not only opted for an obvious and lame reveal but are also committed to dragging out the inevitable rug pull for most of the film’s running time. It also doesn’t help that we saw roughly the same twist in a movie a few years ago (and it was mercilessly trashed for attempting something so ridiculous).
Granted, Olivia Wilde is attempting this plot twist device to tackle gender roles, misogyny, and more. However, once all is made clear, Don’t Worry Darling doesn’t muster up any insightful social commentary but rather devolves into car chases and chaos. There’s a chance that if the filmmakers had tried lifting the veil much earlier on, the script would have a little more freedom to flesh out characters more (especially the supporting bunch, who mostly come across as nothing characters spouting interchangeable dialogue until we learn something about one of them during the finale that not only seems like it should be more emotional than it is, but has also been explored recently inside the same damn concept). The other alternative is to disguise the truth cleverly.
Fortunately for director Olivia Wilde, Florence Pugh is giving it her all. Don’t Worry Darling centers on Alice and Jack Chambers (Pugh plays the former, whereas pop star turned actor Harry Styles struggles his way through a convincing performance before finishing strong). Alice becomes increasingly suspicious that they are not meant to be here, as one of the housewives (played by Kiki Layne in an embarrassingly underwritten role that could have inhabited so much more) exhibits erratic behavior and grows more paranoid by the day. Frank and the community doctor brush these incidents off, but it gives Alice a reason to question the state of things and curiosity to venture off into restricted areas.
Unsurprisingly, Alice is met with gaslighting every step of the way from her husband, Jack, who prioritizes the secret work he is tasked with while sucking up to Frank for a promotion. Alice also repeatedly experiences hallucinations of a group of ballerina dancers performing and occasionally blacks out only to wake up hours later. It’s a given that the men want to keep their wives in line, but the mind games are rarely engaging. Aside from a section that sees Frank psychologically challenging Alice, there’s also not much intrigue in that department.
Florence Pugh and Chris Pine are trying to instill depth and substance into these characters, but they are doomed by the script. Simultaneously, it’s difficult to call Don’t Worry Darling a total failure since the craftsmanship is also there (especially with the production design and numerous dancing sequences). The specifics of the reveal are unsettling, but the general mystery may as well be nonexistent. It takes 100 minutes for the other shoe to drop and then goes nowhere, concluding anticlimactically. It’s a disappointing sophomore feature for Olivia Wilde but an admirable attempt at diving into a different genre.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
