Obviously a very flawed film. That being said, it looks gorgeous and kept me interested all the way to the end - more than I can say for some other movies.
Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about all the plot points this movie never bothers to explain:
1. What was the plane crash?
2. Why did Gemma Chan kill Frank at the end?
3. Why did Margaret's child disappear?
4. What was happening when Alice got crushed up against the glass? And when she sees Margaret smash her head into the mirror? And what was with the empty eggs?
5. Can you imagine whatever you want in the world, like in Inception? Does Frank control the world?
6. What were all the earthquakes/rumbles?
7. Why did one guy tell his wife they were making weapons?
8. Olivia Wilde's character is there because she lost her children - that seemed like an interesting story which was not explored at all.
And on and on...
Miss Flo completely carryied this movie. I must say it has really terrific plot with dark twist and second half is completely messed up. Exactly as this kind of movie should be. Psychological thriller with surprising ending, I was burried in the seat for last hour with open mouth.
I dont understand two story elements: Why was Frank killed by his wife at the end? It doesnt make any sense except some feministic agenda. There was no indication at all that she would want to do that and probably she knew what was going on. Second thing is, why Alice didnt react on Frank saying that she was in his bedroom? Does it mean that Frank has some Administratior rights to every girl inside and men must agree to this terms?
A film that proves that high-concept and shallow are not mutually exclusive. I genuinely enjoy Florence Pugh and Chris Pine, and Harry Styles holds his own, but the story doesn't take those strong performances anywhere interesting. It feels like a classic example of style over substance. And that's not to say that the style is unappreciated. The production design is excellent and certainly helped keep me invested, but the story is left feeling underdeveloped, perhaps leaning too hard on its blunt social commentary.
As for concrete criticisms go, I'm definitely not a fan of the many unexplained/illogical story elements (e.g. Why is the VR world experiencing earthquakes? What's the deal with the crashed plane? Styles' real world character is initially established as an unemployed loser who is getting sucked into a brain washing, incel-esque community rather than get a job. This seems to contradict the ultimate reveal that his character now works a job he hates just to fund his idyllic VR homelife. It seems like an unemployed, deadbeat loser would be more likely to coast along, supported by his hard working doctor partner, regardless of how much he craves dated gender/relationship norms).
i'm still a bit confused by a lot of it
if it was all a simulation, then how exactly did their bodies survive in the real world? were they hooked up to some kind of feeding tubes?
how could frank not know where these people were physically? wouldn't it be an insane risk not to find that out just in case?
why did the cover story for the men's jobs have to be so mysterious as to arouse curiosity? wouldn't it have been easier to come up with a more mundane lie to explain what they do for a living and why it's dangerous to go there? like, i dunno, radiation or something?
why did they make it so easy to exit the simulation? one just had to be curious enough to wander into the forbidden zone and touch this building - why didn't they put it further away from the town or hide it in a cave or at least build a fence around it?
what was the deal with the airplane? why did alice see it?
why did they care whether she took her pills in the simulation, when jack could just inject her with anything in real life?
A psychological drama mystery thriller with 1950s aesthetics. It's beautifully shot, well directed and visually stunning. It takes so long to reveal the mystery and by the time it's actually revealed most people will have already guessed it, it's so predictable. The story lost me a little before things are revealed but Florence Pugh's performance is what saved the movie and what kept me watching she's so good. Harry Styles is no oscar winner by any stretch but he definitely doesn't deserve the hate he was fine. While it's definitely entertaining (because of Flo) it doesn't do all that much in it's 2 hour runtime and leaves you with unfinished character arcs and questions.
The twist is like matrix but the machines have been replaced by neckbeards
I thought this was great.
I only knew of the off-screen drama about 'Don’t Worry Darling', thankfully I hadn't read or seen anything at all about the plot - which, obviously, helped my enjoyment. As such, I was extremely interested in the first chunk of this. It builds up nicely, revealing details here and there. The ending isn't as strong but I still dig it, don't get me wrong.
The cast are terrific, even if Florence Pugh completely wipes the floor with her co-stars... and I don't mean that negatively on them one bit, it's simply a case of Pugh giving an outstanding performance. This is only the third film of her's that I've seen... gotta watch more!
Away from Pugh, I was impressed by Harry Styles. He can act. I will say, though, that Shia LaBeouf would've been greater in the role though. Elsewhere, Olivia Wilde (also dir.), Chris Pine and Gemma Chan do good things.
Is it a perfect film? Not at all. Is it entertaining? Sure is. Each to their own, but I thoroughly enjoyed this 2022 release.
spoiler tags for my opinions on some unanswered plot points. i didn't want to watch this following all the nonsense about the production, but it's a decent movie that would've felt more original about six years ago. i read the spec script 2 years ago and i like this interpretation of it. florence pugh is incredible to watch, it's worth it for her alone. she brought a lot of the same agony and terror to this role that she did her role in midsommar. honestly, solid acting across the board; the only real thing leaving a bad taste in my mouth is what came out about the production and olivia wilde's behavior.
there's plenty left unanswered and i'm pretty disappointed by the ending but it's faithful to the screenplay. some of the things i answered for myself:
why do people die irl when they die in the virtual reality: it's a sci-fi film involving technology far more advanced than any VR we have today. if a person has to be hooked into the system to be able to interact within it, and involves a significant degree of neurological function being either integrated into or controlled by said system, it stands to reason that a traumatic event in the system (i.e., dying) could lead to similar events in real life. this is easily explained away given that it's a trope in other sci-fi films with tech that involves hooking your consciousness up to something else.
why does frank's wife stab him: given what she said, and the "vision" alice has before waking up of jack asking her to stay with him, after he's dead, i suspect frank's wife was also involved in the project and was essentially saying he fucked up, and now she was going to try and keep alice from escaping. her attempt was definitely then a little more nuanced than just sending everyone after alice, but then alice makes her decision regardless.
why do they never revisit the remark about frank's bedroom: pretty sure he's talking about catching them having sex in his bedroom; it's a surprise to jack and one that he looks suspicious about because he didn't see frank, but alice did, hence her generally disgusted look and refusal to linger on it; it was meant to sound like something it wasn't and to me, it just read as alice being like "lmaoo so ANYWAY".
why did margaret's kid disappear: i think this was just an attempt at scaring the general female populace into not going out into the desert near headquarters, and to punish margaret. alternatively, margaret just had no investment in the child anymore because she realized nothing was real and so they... stopped expending technical power on an entire npc.
what was the plane: tbh this one i'm gonna be googling theories about bc i still have no clue. it might be like the earthquakes/lights shattering and just be the system's way of displaying an error or other issue?
what was the point: lmao if you have to ask you haven't seen the bullshit sad little men say on the internet with complete sincerity. anyone who believes that no one out there is deeply into the idea of shit like this or the handmaid's tale is living in a really nice bubble and i'm frankly jealous
The movie is fine and entertaining though it falls apart rather quickly if you think about it even a little bit. The visuals were great, but I think the movie spent a little too much time on long artistic shots.
I feel there's more interesting areas the movie could have explored given its premise instead of just "The Matrix" where low value men imprison their overachieve wives.
It doesn't even make sense in the confines of the story. Why would Jack kidnap the real Alice and put her in the Matrix, when he could have just virtual Alice manufactured by the Matrix and the real Alice can keep living her life. This is what Bunny does with her children who aren't real. In fact, all of the children in the Matrix aren't real.
The exploration of the reason why Jack did that could have been much more interesting and dramatic than what we got, we got some of that in the climax, but it was rather shallow. And the movie went with 'men just want to keep women down and, in the kitchen,' kind of message.
The premise is interesting enough. Seemed similar to Severance or Get Out. Unfortunately, it is nothing you haven’t seen before in say, a Black Mirror episode. Definitely not as bad as the ratings seem to indicate though.
Florence Pugh is great and I’m interested to see is Harry styles is a good actor
It feels like a concept movie that's not been fully developed :confused:
I enjoyed this. It's far from perfect, and I think there were quite a few things that didn't really add up, but it kept me engaged from beginning to end. I was never bored, and both the soundtrack and visuals were great.
"Don't worry darling" is a beautifully shot film that showcases the talent of its actors. The cinematography and use of color and light creates a visually stunning experience. However, despite its captivating appearance, the movie feels longer than necessary and lacks a strong pace of action. The story could have been condensed and still conveyed its message effectively in a shorter runtime. Overall, "Don't worry darling" may appeal to those who enjoy visually striking films, but may not be suitable for those seeking fast-paced action or a tightly-wound plot.
The concept of this movie is very intriguing, it looks great, and I actually thought the twist was pretty solid. However, the character development is very poor -- you end up caring for none of the characters except for Alice (Florence Pugh is great), and Harry Styles is terrible which kind of ruined the movie for me.
That Florence girl has no range as an actor. She continues to play the same paranoid crybaby role in every movie she's in. This movie sucks, I kept scrolling through my phone the entire time.:wastebasket:
So it's true Hollywood truly have no new ideas. This feels like a poor remake of The Matrix mixed with The Truman Show and a dash of The Stepford Wives or maybe The Prisoner and honestly The Thirteenth Floor did the simulated reality thriller way better 23 years ago in 1999. So many unanswered questions What was the plane crash all about? Are the men in red part of a programme like Agent Smith in The Matrix? What was the daily earthquake? How was she kept alive in the real world?
If thrill and mystetia are not your thing, then don't worry darling.
Alice lives with her husband in a small American town in the middle of the desert. All the men work for the mysterious Victory Project and the women, who are not allowed to have any information about the project, take care of the household, the kids and go shopping. So much for the subtext of outdated role models, which, however, gets no further classification or treatment except for the presentation of these clichés.
Alice is repeatedly plagued by flashbacks that she cannot explain. She suddenly comes to her senses in other places, all the characters and especially the women agree with the status quo, don't question it and some seem to know more after all. One of the women who starts asking questions is classified as a leper and sick person who needs help. All the questions that Alice asks are, of course, nonsense according to the other characters and she should not worry.
So much for mystery and thrill or cliché.
I haven't spoiled anything here because these points either come up very early in the film and/or are so predictable that the film can't build suspense at any point.
The people who then expect an exciting resolution of the mystery, I must then unfortunately disappoint, this is not exciting, but simply constructed, boring and without substance. Why all this?
Alice's flashbacks have no logical connection to the plot and the resolution, just like other points that are supposed to build the mystery. (Keyword glass wall)
One thing you have to give the film credit for, just like the fantasy of the men regarding their wives, the concept of the main thing looking good has succeeded.
The film can be summed up wonderfully with the words style over substance.
Olivia wanted to play the main part herself but when she saw Florence Pugh in Midsommar gave up the role and cast her instead. Honestly, pretty clever move cause without Florence this would have been too boring. Everything is basically there, idea is good, music is good, suspense is there, it's beautiful to look at, it's shot very nicely, Pine is pretty great, Harry Styles does surprisingly well etc. but it just has no substance. I'd still recommend it but don't expect much.
I'd rate it 5/10 but Florence is just pure talent, also I like Olivia's vision, can't wait to see what she does next.
Well shot, great score, plot is pretty predictable and would’ve been totally obvious if not for giant holes in the logic of the world building.
The problem with this movie is that it was so popular that I wrote it in my head before I even saw it. I did a way better job. It was ok. I'm gonna forget everything about it next week. Harry Styles was not as bad as everyone said.
This story should have been a 45 minute Black Mirror episode. Instead of doing that, the greedy bastards have stretched it to a 2 hour movie. They have injected ridiculously slow and boring padding sequences to reach that 1 hour 17 minute mark (the dinner table scene we see in the trailer). The real story starts around the 1 hour 30 minute mark. Within those final 30 minutes, the whole story is told and wrapped up. Needless to say, there are lose ends and half-baked character arcs all over the place that's just left hanging.
Don’t Worry Darling is a high concept movie that doesn’t meet everything it sets up and that’s fine. This movie is far from perfect but is it as bad people are saying? No not even close this movie if it had a good reputation I feel like it would get a lot more love. The setting is amazing it is beautifully shot and some scenes just look amazing. Florence Pugh is amazing and everyone else does just fine nobody sticks out as bad but nobody sticks out as good besides Pugh. It has a lot going on and a lot of that never fully gets explained and even after searching and finding the answers u still find that the movie failed you a bit if that’s what it was aiming for. This movie is far from perfect but it can be really enjoyable. I for one see it’s flaws and still enjoy it and think it would be good on rewatch the flaws will still be there but so will the high concept with so much ambition, the beautiful cinematography, and music and a twist that is twist…
Definitely not a great movie, but it was quite entertaining and (unintentionally?) funny.
There were so many hilarious moments. The whole theater burst out laughing when Harry Styles shows up as a greasy incel, when Harry Styles is shown dancing strangely on stage with cuts back to Olivia Wilde asking Florence Pugh "What's wrong?". This movie had people laughing more than many actual comedies that I've seen.
There are some strange gaps in the plot like why people that die in the metaverse die in real life, if the red shirt people are actually real or programs, why Frank would possibly want to interact with these degenerates on a regular basis, why Shelley stabs Frank at the end (did she know the whole time what's going on?), and whether or not the "technical engineers" actually work for Frank directly in the real world or if they work for some other entities to pay him.
The movie was well filmed and kept your focus for most of it, and the tone really fit the tone of someone trying to create a modern-day idealized version of the past, which is what Frank was trying to do in the show.
One of the main problems with the movie is that while Florence Pugh's acting probably made sense from her character's perspective, the story is told from an external observer's perspective, which makes some of her otherwise good acting look a bit comical.
This is worth seeing if you have a group of people that are willing to laugh at the points where it breaks down.
Already seen several times, the stories about perfect lives submerged in a deception or evil plan that the protagonists discover need to be interesting, either in the way people realize the deception, or in their struggle to get out of it. Don't worry darling, although it has solid performances by the leads, and a sound design suitable for the plot, it is not interesting in its resolution of the conflict. There are some loose ends and necessary information that is not explained, which makes one as a viewer when the outcome arrives, ending up feeling disappointed. Added to all the controversy that the cast have generated, Don't worry darling could be classified as the disappointment of the summer. The only thing that could make it worthwhile would be a second part where we learn more about the evil organization or life outside of it, but I don't think that will happen.
Don't understand why this movie is so negatively criticized.
I thought it was a good movie, sure, there are some doubts about the death of Harry Styles, that is, why if one dies in the virtual world, he should also die in the real world, the ending then is also predictable, but I still found it a good movie. Florence Pugh as usual incredibly good and proves to be a young and talented girl, she will surely make her way in the film world ; Harry Styles, although I thought he would suck, was also good in acting. Peculiar and beautiful soundtrack, I appreciated it very much.
6.5/10
Intriguing photography and aptly composed soundtrack aside, I can't help but think that this movie's missing a good chunk of its plot.
Sure, we get that Jack and other husbands wanted their wives to be "happy", and we even know why some of those women (like Bunny) who were in the know chose to stay in the simulation, but... Why did Frank set all of this up? What was his end goal? Plus that part where his wife says that she was gonna take matters in her own hands led pretty much to nowhere. And what about the mechanics of this whole operation? How did it even work, exactly, and how was it even sustainable in the long term? And how is it that Alice escaping it would bring everything down? She doesn't know where everyone's body is in real life...
I would conclude that, after a drawn out build up of tension and mystery, the reveal felt lacking and unoriginal, just like in the "Watcher". If you want to delve into themes such as societal gender roles and male control over women, I'd suggest watching the new "Men" horror flick, a much more successful attempt at meaningful debate in this respect.
No idea how anyone can dislike this. Don't Worry Darling is thrilling, it's entertaining, it's beautifully shot, the production design is great, the costumes & hair styles were gorgeous, the entire feel and look of the movie is just impressive, there is Powell's magnificent soundtrack as well (which I'll be having on repeat for the rest of the month) and most important of all - we got yet another FLORENCE PUGH masterclass!!! Don’t get fooled by the drama surrounding this movie and go see Don’t Worry Darling on the biggest screen possible!
I don’t think the vast majority of negative reviews are warranted. Yes Harry Styles is never going to win any awards any time soon for acting but he certainly wasn’t as bad as people made out. The story wasn’t exactly original but it kept me interested and more importantly awake which is always a decent sign
So many unanswered questions and loose ends. They should’ve cut some scenes from the first two acts and added more explanations to the big twist. Feels like they were unable to do so. As always, I didn’t see the reveal coming, as it didn’t feel obvious to me at all. Actually I felt surprised by it. Overall "Don't Worry Darling" had solid performances, stunning cinematography, an epic soundtrack and a lot of screen time for Flo to work her magic. But honestly - why did Harry Styles tap dance for what felt like 20 minutes?!
a movie about the worst man's in the word: incels!
The movie feels like a movie.
My takeaway from this is...oh it's actually a sci-fi movie.
I understand the message and the point of the story, that's not why I think this was a lackluster movie. I think movies about presenting toxic masculinity, misogyny, and so on in a digestible way can be pretty helpful for those conversations.
My issue is with the pacing of the story. Within 20 minutes we are already shown the cracks of the world. There was no bridge to the issue, no stimulus, nothing. By 20 minutes pur main character was already in conflict. For the rest of the movie I was very confused at Alice's behavior. I felt that a person who was confused and paranoid about her reality would be more concerned with trying to find normalcy, but instead she made herself a big target for Frank. It was kinda confusing why that was the behavior the story writer decided to have. The twist was okay, it wasn't hard to understand what the whole movie was a metaphor for or that this was a fake world. Something that bothered me is...what does Jack do in the real world? I would've loved to know... because there's no way a doctor is making less money than him right now. Actually...why are they living rough? She's a doctor... a surgeon. She makes money and yet... they're on hard times? No explanation there. All we see is why Jack falls into this alpha male trap from Frank. While I understand the sci-fi dystopian part of the film is the "twist", this movie kinda felt flat until the end. There some rules that needed to shown like why only men? Why do men die in the game they die in real life? Who is and isn't a NPC? The kids are NPCs...are the red suits also? What is Frank irl? And especially...you're telling me that Shelly knew all along but just played along due to her power over the other wives? And...wait a minute, Jack and Alice already had a preexisting relationship before Victory but it insinuates that a man can kidnap any woman they want and induct them.
what I mean to say is, a thought provoking film leaves you questioning...a confusing and poorly written one can also. It seems this was trying to go for the first one but ended up being the second one. I liked Florence Pugh's performance, the cinematography, the world building that we did get, and the aesthetic but could not understand the "why" that progressed the story.
A movie with Florence Pugh always has some weird stuff, and this movie was no different. This movie is a pretty big mindf*ck.
Personally, I enjoyed it a lot and would definitely recommend it.
Had no clue what to expect with this film. Chosen at random. Pleasantly surprised. I love a film that keeps you guessing until the very end and this one did just that. great acting from Florence too! I won’t spoil anything just watch it. Also love the 50s decor
Nothing better than starting the year off right by celebrating international Pugh day. Happy birthday to the insanely talented queen and future Academy Award winner, Florence Pugh!
It's basically a modern-day take on the Stepford Wives.
This film is in the tradition of Stepford wives. Pugh plays a perfect 1950s housewife very much in love but senses something strange is afoot. I enjoyed the social commentary but if the film. It was okay once through but I wouldn't recommend or re-watch.
I think the plot made perfect sense and I only wished it kept going for a few more minutes to show more of the aftermath.
A very interesting story with great acting, a well written script, and wonderful setting and cinematography. I recommend this as a thoughtful and interesting change of pace.
Perfect.
Truly.
This film is a masterclass in filmmaking.
Each shot and every detail was thought out, beautifully crafted (reminiscent of the best European art cinema) and brilliantly acted.
Styles is a revelation as an actor, a stand out performance, all the more apparent alongside Pine, whose performance was entirely on point but monochrome by comparison.
Pugh is superb and the supporting cast do their job with perfect adequacy.
The controversy around the film reeks of sexism. Ironic, given that is what the film is about: keeping smart women down. The response in itself, in many respects makes the theme of the film all the more poignant. It doesn’t diminish, but reinforces the message. Indeed, is the joke on the supposed film critics out there, so keen to disparage the film based on unsubstantiated rumours and gossip, rather than the substance of the film itself?
As a lover of film and a filmmaker myself I find Wilde an inspiration.
Indeed there are similarities to Stepford Wives, but this is far more sinister and the film better made.
There have also been comparisons to Get Out. Atmospherically, I get this, entirely. But this is only a compliment. It in no way diminishes what the film has to say. Perhaps, one day a utopian world will come to fruition, where we no longer need to discuss such messages? Or perhaps this will only come to be in a virtual setting?….
I do wonder if certain folk are simply pushing an anti woke agenda in trying to tear down this film.
Perhaps it is not for some? And perhaps the red pill movement are a little miffed by this call out?
If you are a true fan of cinema, this is a film for you.
It's captivating in a twisted way. The choices of the director are interesting in how the story is presented. The acting was phenomenal and I was drawn into the story through each frame.
A mix between The Matrix, Black Mirrors and Stepford Wives. Love the costumes and sets. Enjoyed the ride. Would have liked more of an ending. Too many loose ends.
It started well, with a lot of mystery that made you wonder what exactly was happening, but I think it was not convincing somewhere along. Something got lost in the 2nd part, something was not given correctly, there were too many gaps in the story that were not explained, there were scenes that could be removed and make the movie shorter but also more clear. The twist was unexpected, but again it didn’t save the movie.
Also, the directing was a bit out of there and when i saw in the end credits the "directed by" then it all makes sense.
For fans of Pugh only. Especially with that see through nightgown :heart:
There is a lot to like about this movie. It's visually great, has a strong feminist message, and has an excellent cast. However, it's not quite as good as it could have been due to a slightly muddled plot and confusing ending. Don't worry - this is still worth seeing - but I wish the finished product lived up to its promise.
Florence Pugh and the set props are the only thing that bumped this movie up to a 2. Her performance is a 10 but the rest of the movie is so badly plotted her superhero powers couldn't save the rating. The cliffhanger ending leads want to think there will be a sequel I hope to @#?& I'm wrong.
It felt like a modernised Stepford Wives, mixed with a little Ready Player One , and even had a little of that last century atmosphere with the cars, the lifestyle, the stay at home wives, the 9 -5 jobs and drunken parties with the workmates - but that's not really a bad thing, that's common enough, and it was reasonably well done (ie some good actors and a reasonable budget)
Maybe because the setup for the story took so long (on quite a long movie) it all seemed to drag on a boot too much for such a simple premise
And all ended with a a pretty stupid car chase considering it was a very capable woman in an awesome car
It could have been good...
Was a well put together movie but too many things unfinished or that don't make sense (the guys in red, jack and his wife, etc). I think this is begging for a sequal but unsure if it'll ever get one.
This is one of those movies that sounds so awesome when you describe it but doesn’t deliver when you watch it. It was about an hour too long.
A baffling, muddled mess. It apes the aesthetics that every modern ‘art’ film must have with no thought or care put to it. Harry Styles is a black hole of charisma; every time he needs to capital A Act he looks like a deepfake. Pugh is trying but they’re just making her do the most dramatic scenes of Midsommar again, on loop, and it’s exhausting. It makes her look monotonous and repetitive when it’s the script’s and directing’s fault for forcing her to stay in one mode for the whole movie.
Speaking of the script, it’s so valid it’s doing nobody in the film any favors. The twist is foretold by the diverse casting, but the diverse casting is not reflected in the metaphor. There’s no thought given to them, as Ar’iel Statchel and KiKi Layne have publicly attested to. KiKi Layne is especially wasted here, as her character Margaret is what actually sets things off before being discarded for Alice to then be set up as the only rebel challenging things and admired by the villain for doing so, with Margaret scarcely mentioned again. Gemma Chan’s character is dumbfounding, her final scene neither set up or capitalized on, with the vaguest and most nonsensical line. It’s clear she’s just a device to give a poor attempt at catharsis and karma. And the sex scenes undercut both Wilde’s public tour highlighting them as empowering and the movie’s own themes of regressive heteronormative misogyny and masculinity. They can’t be both! The story is either lifeless rote mimicry of Get Out, Black Mirror, and their ilk; flat, laughable overexposition; or undercutting its own themes. Sometimes, all of the above.
A misfire on so many levels. It’s well shot enough? I guess? But even that is so by the numbers- there’s one bit with a mirror that had me rolling my eyes. I can’t wait for the movie or documentary on what happened behind the scenes, that’ll be far more interesting than this
Like an extended episode of Black Mirror. So if you like that Series, you'll like this too.
I really liked it. Obviously very great cinematic and atmospherically. Fun ride, good acting, I didn't see it coming.
[HBO Max] It starts as an interesting thriller that gets better thanks to Florence Pugh, who brings a depth to her character that probably it didn't have in the script. And while it can feel like one of those sci-fi anthology episodes, it sometimes strikes the right balance between the implausible and the believable. But it is unbalanced, with a first act in which the suspense lasts for a short time and an ending that ends up being too obvious in the reflection on the resistance to the renunciation of patriarchy, and the necessary female revolution that continues to feel threatened.
this movie got disproportionate criticism -- sure, it wasn't totally unique, and sure, there were some plotholes, but I thought it was perfectly watchable.
Most of it is a decent vibe the ending would have worked better if Alice started flying around like Neo using superpowers
Florence Pugh and Chris Pine are excellent. There are enough plot holes to bother me, but I was entertained throughout and therefore give this a solid 6.6. Beautiful cinematography and creepy visuals abound.
I don't quite the negative reviews. Sure, this film kind of feels like The Truman Show meets Severance meets Matrix meets internet incel forums, but it's actually very well done. And while you can at some point predict the big reveal, it still is grasping until the very last minute.
Nah. The Truman Show (1998) did it better.
This is actually a very good movie.
A very good 1950's vibe to it with a wicked twist at the end.
9/10
Soooo... this is like the matrix, but really poorly executed?
There were things I liked about this film. For example it was well shot/stylish, lead actress was really good. The plot build started off interesting, but it kind of fell apart for me as the film approached the final act.
Solid enough movie. Up until the reason behind the illusion is revealed. For whatever reason I expected more from it and basically added up to a modern matrix in my opinion. Acting was solid, seems like people dawged on Harry Styles performance but for the most part I think that's unwarranted. The attention to detail with hints throughout the movie is nice but for it to just be what it is...ehh. Still enjoyed watching it though 7/10
I just watch my favorite movie of all times. Holly shit this was eye opening to reality! Holly Fuck!! I now KNOW the Truth because of this movie.
look i like the movie is OK a close seven maybe, you have that feeling something big is happening but with that end, oh come on now give to your movie an end.
I think we should probably stop Harry Styles acting as soon as we can, for the good of planet.
It had potential but didn't really stick the landing. Definitely a movie that thinks it's smarter than it really is.
It's a hard movie to watch when beforehand you get all the details about the just truly awful people that put it together and how Olivia Wilde apparently is just a terrible person in real life. The knowledge oozes into your viewing pleasure and I found I just couldn't watch this movie with any real interest as a result.
A movie smoke. Leaving a horrible ending without closing.
Very interesting, although it felt a bit too long.
I don't often fall asleep during a movie. But I was out cold within the first half hour. Boring!
Sweet dreams are made of this
Who am I to disagree?
I've traveled the world
and the seven seas
Everybody's looking for something
Some of them want to use you
Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you
Some of them want to be abused.
The end is disappointing though.
This is a hot mess, it’s unfortunate to see a talented director fly off the rails so quickly. Still, good on Olivia for getting WB to finance this original project, it’s very fun to look at (lots of production value, great costumes, the cinematography pops). Florence Pugh is fantastic, all the other performances range from decent (Chris Pine) to trash (Mr Styles, pack your bags). It really falls apart with the writing though. The set-ups of this mystery are incredibly on the nose and obvious (especially if you’ve seen the late 90s films this film is so clearly ripping off), it’s all to the point where an attentive viewer will know beat for beat how this is going to play out. So, not only is it a little too dumb to be engaging, but its attempts at commenting about the patriarchy ring very hollow, unspecific, and again, on the nose. Once the mysteries are ‘revealed’, the movie completely loses its direction and becomes unintentionally hilarious, leaving a lot of loose ends in the process. It’s abundantly clear to me that this is not playing to Olivia Wilde’s strengths, I hope she goes back to making smaller, more intimate films.
4/10
I went into this movie not knowing a thing about it's story line and I gotta say, I was positively surprised! Wasn't expecting this to be the direction of it at all!
It was the first movie I ever saw with Harry Styles as an actor (well, I saw Dunkirk, but I don't really remember him, so...) and Olivia Wilde as a director and I gotta say they both did a good job, especially Olivia. Despite all the drama created around it, I think Harry ended up fitting the part better than Shia Labeouf would have.
Extra points for the beautiful photography and Florence Pugh and Chris Pine's performances.
Wasn't completely satisfied with the ending, but, in general, I thought it was a great movie.
I normally have a hard time thinking that a movie's style can carry the day but this movie might be an exception to that rule. The setup and the set and absolutely fantastic: a group of younger couples live in an idyllic small town somewhere in the desert. Their husbands are working on a secret project for the company that oversees the town. All of their wants and expenses are taken care of by the company. The only thing that is asked of the women is that they not ask questions about any of it. Florence Pugh is fantastic in the lead role. As the movie goes on she starts to question the very nature of their existence in the town. It takes a while for things to start rolling and eventually they do. There really isn't anything here that we haven't seen before. In hindsight I think some of the moments at the end of the movie (especially the revelation by Olivia Wilde's character) could have been done differently to create some more drama. It was far from perfect but I did enjoy it.
follow me at https://IHATEBadMovies.com or facebook IHATEBadMovies
The cast is fantastic and the visuals are stunning, but the plot is a hot mess. The first act is good and the movie is quite entertaining, but it gradually falls apart and the ending is, by far, the worst part.
So many questions go unanswered and I understand when that's done purposefully to deepen the mystery, but it's clear here that they just added elements for the hell of it and never intended to do anything with them. The number of things that go nowhere is shocking and, the more you learn, the less sense the actions of the characters make.
Florence Pugh was the best thing about this film, her back must hurt from carrying it. Everyone else was good, but their talents were painfully underused. Harry Styles did better than I thought. He's not a great actor, but I didn't hate it.
On a side note, one of the things that bother me the most is that Olivia Wilde promoted this movie as if the story is one of female empowerment and strength. Given the premise, that's so fucking disingenuous. The way she talked about sex and female pleasure is also disingenuous and GROSS. The character is literally kidnapped, so she's not consenting to shit. Just because she wasn't aware of it doesn't mean the sex is not rape.
By promoting the film that way, I believe she sabotaged it a bit. What happened, there? She thought no one would go see it if she didn't make it sound feminist? How embarrassing.
Dripping with 50s aesthetic and eerie like a 2 hour Black Mirror episode, Don't Worry Darling is a soft sci-fi drama thriller that is lovely to behold and with a decent layer of complexity to dissect. The movie has a very feminist-forward message piece, its contemporary sci-fi angle encapsulating the soft-oppression of old suburban life and how modern day men yearn for the days of yore where women were sub-servant housewives, their dreams/goals squashed for "the good life" of staying at home, raising children and pottering around with other housewives in similar lifestyles. Many are happy to make the trade for freedom, others not so but held in place by the status quo that is forcing them to stay quiet. Some might say the message and conveyance of said message is a little on the nose here, but I really did like the Black Mirror-esque delivery and how the mystery was slowly revealed to the viewer. The overall look of the movie is also so well done, everything gleams and pops and shimmers from the screen, from the diamond encrusted dresses to the multicoloured classic cars; and that's to say nothing of the sets. It truly is a lovely film for the eyes, and I wouldn't be shocked to see costume, makeup or set design take some awards in the coming season. It really is that good.
The elephant in the room is obviously Harry Styles. I think I'd have preferred literally any other actor to fill his role and his constant ☹acting face. It's not a terrible performance, but when juxtaposed with Florence for the majority of the dramatic scenes, he's just left looking silly and unconvincing in every exchange.
As to not ramble, I thought this was a good movie. I've not dived into the controversy that this movie became imbued with shortly before its release and I think I'm going to keep it that way. Taken as its own entity, Don't Worry, Darling is a solid movie that I don't think is deserving of the memetic slander that's befallen it, but in a world of one line Letterboxd reviews and 5 second Twitter clips, I guess that's the market it's working with, and that's a shame. Give it a chance and I think you'll have a good time, all things considered.
yes well for me it was really a pretty good movie with an unexpected twist into the real world... the script is genius and reminds a bit to the movie "Surrogates" 12y ago... so all negativ and deep psychologically commentaries, please do not try to cut the flick like a cake... it's nice entertainment with moments of tension and maybe not the best ending in this case... but to show that humanity deepest feelings can't be manipulated constantly °!°
fact is they said, if someone would die in the unreal world you will also be dead in the real world... I think that's why the wife of Frank act very consciously the stay endless in the unreal world just as Bunny decided to do that long before!
in any case, I wasn't disappointed to pay money for this movie in the cinema [7/10]
"Gossip Pool" house location is amazing.. I have it hanging on my wall.. Movie is styled amazingly!!
After the 1st 57mins of the movie, the story do pick up and made it more interesting. I liked the plot twist, it came out of nowhere. Felt like so much more could of been done cause the lore of movie is interesting and could of been explored. Frank (Chris character) had too little screen time imo, wish it went a bit longer.
Got to give Ms Florence her roses, she put her whole back into this movie.Towards the ending, Chris Pine's character confuses me as to why his wife did that to him? What does it mean? She took over?
Looked promising and I was excited to see it but was so boring I almost dropped off to sleep. Total waste of 2 hours. 2/10.
Felt like a very long Black Mirror episode where you start to realize everything is but a simulation.
Again, Pugh and Pine effortlessly proves to be very versatile talents here. Classy, intelligent, and persuasive acting just rightly delivered by both. Director Olivia Wilde undoubtedly did a stellar job putting all these together. Cinematography and soundtrack are just awesome. This here easily is a classic!
Not the worst movie of 2022, but it missed its plot. Worth a watch!
Stanford wifes but with a twist
The movie is entertaining, it manages to keep you intrigued for a couple of hours, and the script is capturing. But the more the film goes, the more it seems a bad pastiche of an endless list of prior films and TV series, which for sure the director has seen due to the many clear citations. And it is not really a credible dystopia, why would people want to live there? Interesting the Orwell citation from the start, but again a mediocre citation, as it does not mention interesting element from it which would have made it way more clever.
Just wasn't for me. The first 1.5 hours had me sitting there thinking WTF is going on. The last 30 minutes was pretty good though. Thankfully I had a hamburger, fries, a beer and some popcorn to keep me going.
Review by Cory CopelandVIP 5BlockedParent2022-09-25T01:25:32Z— updated 2023-06-26T02:13:10Z
So I have some theories about this movie, and I understand they may be controversial to many. Firstly, (not a theory) I had a phenomenal time with this movie. Like genuinely, I really liked it. But I also don’t want to spoil anything, so I will refrain in that regard. But secondly, I think this movie is getting wildly mixed reviews because of the audience it is hitting. In many aspects, this feels like an A24 film. A smidge experimental, a little vague, conceptual with its messages. A24 has never thrived because it’s forced to the mainstream. It hits an audience that is interested in what A24 is. By casting Harry Styles, a One Direction member, as the lead, and the crazy amount of ads for this movie, it’s drawing an audience wildly different than what it is. Thirdly, people are upset because it has plot holes…I don’t think it actually has plot holes. It had intentional ambiguity in a world left to explore. We could see a prequel. We could see a sequel. We could get documentaries about it. There’s so much here that is left for interpretation, but it’s not unanswered. It’s open ended the way many books are. All in all, I HIGHLY recommend this one. Go in knowing nothing and experience it for yourself!
Rating: 4.5/5 - 9/10 - Highly Recommend