Skillful marketing, expensive cast packs theaters for one of the most anticipated films of 2022. PHOTO CREDIT: dontworrydarling.movie
Few movies in recent years have had the same level of publicized off-screen drama as Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling.”
From the supposed “spitting” at the Venice Film Festival to the controversial union of Harry Styles and his director, most of the film’s buzz has had little to nothing to do with the movie itself. The nonsense only seems to have supplied the film with substantial additional marketing, with all sources indicating a highly successful first weekend at the box office for the movie.
As for the movie itself, I am happy to say that for better or worse, the drama continues on with its big screen performance. The film, a drama-thriller, does well to keep the viewer guessing until the rolling credits ultimately bring all of the madness to a close.
That isn’t to say that the movie is without flaws. The final cut of this film would have benefited from a runtime of 25 or so minutes less, just cutting out a bit of the fluff and the overly repetitive material utilized.
With that said, the movie is well shot and certainly pretty to look at: the synchronized imagery of the men driving away in their cars with the wives waving goodbye is still stuck in my head a few days after viewing.
The story itself is difficult to be truly described without divulging significant or “spoiling” details to the plot. In summary, the film centers on a woman’s slow and dangerous realization that the world around her may not be all it seems to be.
It’s a mystery that, while dealt with in a somewhat convoluted way, is definitely intriguing and engaging to watch unfold, especially early on as the film begins to toy with the role men and women each play in a “perfect” society.
Florence Pugh, well known for her role as Dani in 2019’s “Midsommar” as well as Yelena Belova in “Black Widow,” shines bright in “Don’t Worry Darling” in the starring role. In the backbone of the story, we see her 1950s nuclear world through the eyes of her character, Alice Chambers.
Opposite her, taking the place of her loving husband Jack is Harry Styles, who despite having less experience than his co-stars, doesn’t feel out of place in front of the camera. Ironically, given their rumored off-screen tension, Olivia Wilde stands in as Alice’s dependable best friend, Bunny, delivering a pretty steady performance as “just another girl in the neighborhood.”
The dependable names of Chris Pine and Nick Kroll round out the heavy-hitting cast, which maintains the film’s theme and commentary on both the modern and older standard of gender roles.
Definitely, a slow burner, “Don’t Worry Darling,” while certainly not for everyone, as visible by its very much mixed reception from critics, handles itself well for the most part.
Fans of Pugh will be delighted not just by her standout performance in a cast full of big names. And speaking of big names, Harry Styles fans (many of which attended the same screening as me) will be glad to know that the Brit has plenty of screentime, expanding the acting résumé he began with Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk” in 2017 and approaching the release of his “My Policeman” in October.
Regardless of how anyone feels about “Don’t Worry Darling,” it’s certainly a film that will keep us talking for a while to come.