The gossip surrounding this film has received far more attention than the film itself, but I am a fan of Florence Pugh (“Midsommer”), so I wanted to see it. The film is set in the mid-50’s in the planned utopia-like Palm Springs community, “Victory.” Founded by the charismatic and forward-thinking Frank (Chris Pine), the men living in Victory are all working on the “Top-Secret” “Victory Project.” Much like in “The Stepford Wives,” the husbands go to work in the morning while the wives cook, clean, drink and chat by the pool, and shop! What could be better than this?
Alice (Pugh) is happily married to Jack (Harry Styles). Shia Labeouf was originally supposed to play Jack and the Director (Olivia Wilde) may have provoked his decision to quit, since she wanted Harry Styles (her current boyfriend) to take his part. Since Wilde was living with Jason Sudeikis, their affair supposedly made Pugh very uncomfortable. (Wilde and Styles apparently couldn’t keep their hands off each other, frequently taking sex breaks during shooting time.) Pugh was also upset that Wilde doubled down on the sex scenes between Jack and Alice, emphasizing sex for what she considered to be far too much than the film called for. (Call me a dirty old man, but the sex scenes were my second favorite part of the film, next to the great 50’s soundtrack!)
However, something is definitely off. One of the wives has a nervous breakdown and claims that Frank is lying to them. Alice is cooking breakfast, but the eggs don’t have a yolk. Alice has disturbing dreams and memory flashes that are puzzling.
The mystery is eventually revealed, but there were so many loose ends and unanswered questions left by screenwriter Katie Silberman that they turned a better-than-average movie into just an ok one. Some of the reviewers complained about Styles’ performance, but I thought he was pretty good. (It’s Pugh’s movie and Styles didn’t have a part requiring any range.)
Bottom Line: It’s a decent rental, but it could have been much better.
The gossip surrounding this film has received far more attention than the film itself, but I am a fan of Florence Pugh ("Midsommer"), so I wanted to see it. The film is set in the mid-50's in the planned utopia-like Palm Springs community, "Victory." Founded by the charismatic and forward-thinking Frank (Chris Pine), the men living in Victory are all working on the "Top-Secret" "Victory Project." Much like in "The Stepford Wives," the husbands go to work in the morning while the wives cook, clean, drink and chat by the pool, and shop! What could be better than this? Alice (Pugh) is happily married to Jack (Harry Styles). Shia Labeouf was originally supposed to play Jack and the Director (Olivia Wilde) may have provoked his decision to quit, since she wanted Harry Styles (her current boyfriend) to take his part. Since Wilde was living with Jason Sudeikis, their affair supposedly made Pugh very uncomfortable. (Wilde and Styles apparently couldn't keep their hands off each other, frequently taking sex breaks during shooting time.) Pugh was also upset that Wilde doubled down on the sex scenes between Jack and Alice, emphasizing sex for what she considered to be far too much than the film called for. (Call me a dirty old man, but the sex scenes were my second favorite part of the film, next to the great 50's soundtrack!) However, something is definitely off. One of the wives has a nervous breakdown and claims that Frank is lying to them. Alice is cooking breakfast, but the eggs don't have a yolk. Alice has disturbing dreams and memory flashes that are puzzling. The mystery is eventually revealed, but there were so many loose ends and unanswered questions left by screenwriter Katie Silberman that they turned a better-than-average movie into just an ok one. Some of the reviewers complained about Styles' performance, but I thought he was pretty good. (It's Pugh's movie and Styles didn't have a part requiring any range.) Bottom Line: It's a decent rental, but it could have been much better.
Don’t Worry Darling: Interesting and Erotic, But Confusing Ending (HBO Max)
Don’t Worry Darling: Interesting and Erotic, But Confusing Ending (HBO Max)
2022-11-18
David
70
7
Florence Pugh Shines Again!
Keeps Your Interest, But Ending Disappoints!
User Rating : No Ratings Yet !
7
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