Film Review: "Don't Worry Darling"





Olivia Wilde’s film Don’t Worry Darling has been a topic of conversation for all the wrong reasons. Riddled with behind-the-scenes controversy, audiences were eager to see the finished product.  Now in theaters, the film ends up being a story that thinks it is smarter than it actually is. The story follows Alice (Florence Pugh) a 1950s housewife living in the experimental community of Victory with her husband Jack (Harry Styles).  Run by a mysterious man named  Frank (Chris Pine), Alice begins to uncover there is more than meets the eye in this world.  If that premise sounds like an episode of Black Mirror, it is not far off.

Wilde’s latest is a compelling mystery with some very engaging performances. What makes the film frustrating is that the resolution is not as interesting as the journey itself. The screenplay by Katie Silberman fills the audience with a sense of unease. Alice and Jack’s life in Victory is so perfect that it feels too good to be true. Once the cracks start to appear, Florence Pugh’s magnetic performance keeps audiences engaged.  Watching her try to uncover the secrets of Victory is the most enjoyable and surprising sequences. Some of the best moments involve Alice verbally sparing with Frank in ways that will keep eyes glued to the screen.

Sequences between Alice and Frank are so tense that the core romantic relationship feels uneven. Styles feels outmatched against Pugh, and it shows every time he is on screen. The camera ogles him, in ways that will only please his die-hard fanbase. It is a distracting element that takes away from the tension on display. Such a distracting performance does not help with a frustrating twist. 

Once the twist is revealed, the tension valve is released with lackluster results. Wilde plots out the secrets of Victory in an intricate way, but it is never as interesting as the set-up promises. At a two-hour running time,  minds race with potential ideas for what is happening. Of the different scenarios that could be thought of, what happens is less than an interesting option. This creates a finished result that feels undercooked and unworthy of the talents of the cast. Besides two great performances from Pugh and Pine, the aesthetics of the film keeps it from being unwatchable.

Cinematographer Matthew Libatique helps to create a very tense and effective mood. Victory is shot with a pristine glimmer and sheen that is transfixing to witness on the screen. Such a disarming warmth in the lighting makes the mood consistently sinister. Simple images of Jack and Alice embracing hold an undercurrent of dread, which keeps the feeling equal parts tense and very surprising. Seeing it projected on an IMAX screen helped make the tone of uncertainty even more effective. Don’t Worry Darling is ripe with ideas that never earn the payoff.

Don’t Worry Darling is one of the year's most disappointing and underwhelming films. The ideas are certainly well presented but delivered in a bland way viewers have seen before. Such bland delivery contradicts great performances from actors like Florence Pugh and Chris Pine. They both do what they can with a messy screenplay, but it is not enough to recommend a theatrical experience. Coming off of her directorial debut Booksmart, there was excitement for what Wilde would do next.  Such a disheveled thriller as her follow-up leaves hope for a course correction for her third film.

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