“Don’t Worry, Darling” (2022) Review
Written by Victor DeBonis
“Don’t Worry, Darling” has an ambition that I certainly appreciate, but, sadly, the writing of the movie keeps it from being something far stronger. Florence Pugh is undeniably superb, and she brings the same wit and integrity that help establish her as a star who I’m happy to see in any show or movie. On top of looking beautiful, she conveys honest frustration and subtle strength that lead into someone interesting trying her hardest to make sense of a strange situation.
Chris Pine is eerily calm and reminds me of the bad types of priests or malevolent leaders, in general, who know that they’re spouting rubbish but have so much control that they find any attempt from someone who attempts to question the phony surroundings as mere amusement. His steady glances and his surprising firmness through which he rarely raises his voice left me feeling disappointed that such an interesting villain didn’t have much screen time.
Kudos to the production design because the carefully crafted homes, slick shine of the classic cars, and sharp costumes help create something that truly feels as though the world of the 1960’s came to life again, and this environment looks phenomenal and pristine. There are also a couple of moments dealing with the psychological dilemma that are visually off-putting and made me sit forward in my seat for a second.
The writing is ultimately what hurts this movie. I appreciate the commentary and wholeheartedly agree that what it has to say about how men are allowed to act in certain ways as well as the unfair standards that countless women have to undergo, along with a couple of other issues, are undeniably problems, and I respect the devotion that director Olivia Wilde, as well as the screenwriters, try to communicate with their story here. However, lines, such as “Everything must be symmetrical and in order” and “She’s having outbursts” and “You know that you’re not supposed to go there” pound you over the head with what they’re trying to say to a point that it feels that they’re really trying to hold your hand instead of giving you any better guidance on your own to see what it’s trying to say.
To add to this, it confuses me that, within the first five minutes, it comes across as a little too obvious that something is fishy, and nobody, even given the circumstances of what’s going on, even remotely realizes that something is strange beyond a couple of people. Acting a bit too on the nose, many lines and pauses of the camera leave you with the idea that, obviously, this character is coming to probably do this action or be of importance, later in the story, and this character is going to set up what will lead to the unraveling of what is causing this environment to exist as it does. A huge part of the intrigue of a mystery comes from the writer leaving just enough clues to allow the audience to make their own conclusions of what will happen next or how things will turn out, and the script of this movie makes a massive mistake by feeling that it just needs to add more hints to make it obvious how things are probably going to turn out in ways that, ultimately, aren’t vastly surprising.
Movies, such as “The Truman Show” and the original “Matrix” were obvious influences for this film, which I do respect. And, since the plot of the movie was increasingly frustrating me with how obvious things were playing out, I found myself asking the question of whether I would’ve enjoyed this movie more if it had been released around that time when stories that questioned reality a bit were a bit of an appealing item. Those stories, when done right, are ones that I outright love. Thinking back to those movies, however, there were elements about it that made them feel unique with their story or world that pulled me in and didn’t let go of my interest.
With “The Truman Show” I found Peter Weir’s direction wonderful and Jim Carrey’s perfect balance of dramatic sincerity and playful humor intriguing (especially in a time when he was starting to prove himself as a serious actor), but there was genuine intrigue with the love interest who is trying so hard to show him the true world and Ed Harris as this powerful “director” who seems to embrace his idea of himself as a “God” of Truman’s world. There were the brief yet fascinating moments of the rest of the world watching his show before it’s fully revealed what’s going on beyond the perfectly surreal atmosphere.
The original “Matrix” movie had a few moments in which it spelled out things a bit, but the world of the machines, as well as how it was presented, looked different. The electric punk vibe flowed strongly through the film and heightened the coolness of this film’s identity. And, this fantastic movie dealt with multiple themes that were often dealt with in different ways, such as discovering one’s potential, finding one’s purpose or identity through unconventional ways, and doing incredible acts through the love for someone.
Both of these movies had their flaws, too, but there was something different enough with the presentation of their ideas and the other elements
“Don’t Worry, Darling” has an undeniably great-looking world, but there is little about its admirable themes that haven’t been communicated better in other stories. It should be mentioned that I do admired Wilde and her talent. Olivia Wilde’s previous directorial effort “Booksmart” is a fun, clever comedy that I recommend for others to check out. She is someone, in general, who I admire for her talent from acting to directing, and I watched a brief video of seeing her describe how the tension of one of her scenes from this movie is directed, so the passion is certainly here.
Putting this review aside for a second, I think that I should point out the elephant in the room and discuss my thoughts regarding some of the behind-the-scenes drama that has been very public surrounding this movie. When other people are working with a project or in a certain place and are having bad events occur, left and right, and are also divided or at each other’s throats, it can be a vastly uncomfortable experience, especially when serious relationships or feelings regarding them are involved. Even when promoting this movie at this time, some of the people involved with the making of it appeared somewhat reluctant or drained when they were doing so. Whatever my thoughts and others are regarding this movie, it is hard for me to tell how much was true or false, but I do feel a little bad for Wilde going through the small nightmare of making what looks like a huge passion project for her, and I’m happy that it finally got made and released, even if I couldn’t truly get into it. Sometimes, just finishing something or leaving something that is just consumed with problems and discord is a huge achievement in itself.
I believe that, as a story, “Don’t Worry, Darling” has definite passion behind its ideas and what it’s trying to do, but there are stumbles with the narrative and how ideas come about that leave the film feeling not awful but not enough to make for a gripping or great thriller.
Side note: If you do choose to see this, keep in mind that the movie has a couple of risqué scenes that are aggressive.
Grade: C