With the summer movie-going season drawing to a close, writer/director Ethan Coen intends to end it with a literal bang in Honey, Don’t!, a neo-noir murder mystery that unfortunately flounders due to uneven and frustrating storytelling from the acclaimed storyteller.

Honey, Don’t! centers on a tough-as-nails private investigator named Honey (Margaret Qualley) who investigates the murder of a young woman and her ties to a Reverend Drew (Chris Evans), the seedy head of a nearby church. Aiding her in her investigation is a local law enforcement officer named Marty (Charlie Day) and another officer who works in the same building named MG (Aubrey Plaza) whom she forms a romantic connection with.

Coen has assembled a terrific cast here and thankfully, they’re all put to good use. Qualley, who has shown an incredible versatility in her recent run of projects, including The Substance, Kinds of Kindness, and Poor Things, is phenomenal here. She commands the screen with a masculine energy oozing in bravura, tapping into a lower timbre of her voice to suit her character, registering as far less a gimmick than a natural affectation of Honey. She is a joy to watch throughout, especially as she delves deeper and deeper into the case, creating chemistry with everyone she shares the screen with, especially Plaza and Day, the former delivering strong, calculated work and the latter bringing the laughs consistently with his limited presence. Qualley and Plaza have an electric chemistry together, and their shared scenes are some of the film’s finest. Evans is also inspired casting as the charismatic reverend who engages in numerous nefarious activities. He is clearly relishing every second of screen time as the character, giving every line reading a delightfully unhinged twang and tangible viscosity. The talented actor is finally picking projects to showcase his under-seen skills, and this works in the film’s favor tremendously as his antagonist begins to take center stage.

The film’s script, which was written by Coen and his wife Tricia Cooke, is mostly sharp, showcasing that trademark Coen brothers dry, unpredictable charm and violence. The characters are quirky, but not overly so, and some of the exchanges between them go to some wonderfully unexpected places, delivering laughs and thrills throughout. This is also a gorgeous looking film, its looks, feel,s and tone evoking of many neo-noir films from the 1970s. If characters weren’t seen using modern cell phones or heard mentioning the recent pandemic, viewers would be hard-pressed to realize this story was taking place in the modern day. This is a throwback detective story told through an old-fashioned lens, allowing this world to be as immersive as it is nostalgic.

However, with only one Coen brother at the helm here, the absence is certainly felt. The direction doesn’t feel as strong and assured, and the storytelling is not as finely tuned and orchestrated. What starts out as an effective slow-burning neo-noir story culminates in an unsatisfying third act that is deeply underwhelming and disjointed. A slow-burning is only as good as its payoff, and unfortunately, the resolution to this story is as bizarre and frustrating as they come, bound to leave viewers scratching their heads in dissatisfaction. The pacing also doesn’t do the film any favors; the film chugs along glacially as it slowly unfurls new details of the central mystery that aren’t nearly as compelling as they should be. As a result, this is a detective story that fails to ever find its groove, hindered by laborious plotting that spins its wheels more than it propels them forward. If it used this screen time to flesh out its colorful set of supporting characters, it would’ve been time well spent, but not only are those opportunities wasted, but many of those characters are as well.

Rating: 2.5/5 Stars

Honey, Don’t! isn’t without its fair share of highlights, but this is a film that feels like an egregious waste of potential. While the performances will keep viewers entertained and engaged, there’s little else that will linger once the credits roll. If this is to be the second in Coen’s planned trilogy of films, he needs to make sure he comes roaring back with a story that makes far more of an impact. If Drive-Away Dolls and this latest effort have proved anything, it’s that the Coens work far better as a band than as solo artists.