A dark comedy about small-town private investigator Honey O’Donahue, who delves into a series of strange deaths tied to a mysterious church.
Chuck says:
What an odd film Ethan Coen’s “Honey Don’t” is. It smacks of neo-Raymond Chandler, sports the dark quirky sense of humor the director and his brother Joel have become known for and features an odd assortment of fully realized characters you hope to spend more time with. So far, so good. And yet, there are some nagging missteps that prevent this tangential murder mystery from coming all together. Its disparate tones clash throughout, leaving the viewer uncertain as to Coen’s intent, while the solution as to who’s been behind all the homicidal mayhem lands with a thud. Frankly, I’m still not sure of their motivation or how their paths crossed withall of those who are now taking the big sleep.
And yet, despite these flaws, I liked the film for the most part, thanks to the colorful performances from the committed cast and the sense of place Coen creates. Far from the mean streets of Los Angeles where Phillip Marlowe trod, the rundown, perpetually dirty streets of industrial Bakersfield, California and its arid outskirts are the setting. Castaways and the forgotten inhabit these dingy environs, attempting to eke out an existence, their hardscrabble life leaving them prey to those that would exploit their situation.
Like most private investigators, Honey O’Donahue (Maragaret Qualley) gets by on infidelity cases, providing proof to the suspicious that their partner or spouse is cheating on them. However, when twentysomething Mia Novotny (Kara Petersen), who was set to meet with her to discuss a dire matter ends up dead in a car accident, something about the timing of it all doesn’t seem right. Digging a bit further into what’s been deemed a vehicular homicide by police detective Marty Metakawitch (Charlie Day), she finds the young woman was a member of the Four Way Temple. Run by Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans), who isn’t above sharing the pleasures of the flesh with the women in his congregation. An obvious conman, his natural charisma, keeps these desperate people under his sway. However, he bristles under O’Donahue’s questioning, afraid she’ll uncover his involvement with a French drug cartel.
While the intrepid ‘tec tries to get to the bottom of Novotny’s murder, a great many incidents occur, some connected to the mystery, some not. A drug buy gone bad sets off a chain of events that results in the death of one of Devlin’s couriers and his grandmother as well as that of two of the reverend’s amorous followers and a bag man. While this is happening, O’Donahue begins a torrid affair with police officer MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza), her niece Heidi (Kristen Connelly) goes missing and a key figure from her past returns.
All standard elements of the genre, Coen and screenwriter Tricia Cooke lay them out efficiently, daring the audience to keep up. Not every plot point is related to the initial murder, some, red herrings. Yet, I didn’t object to this open-ended approach, primarily because of the film’s ironic tone and characters. Day is a hoot as the blissfully clueless Metakawtich, Gabby Beans as Spider, our heroine’s assistant bristles with sass, while Josh Pafchek as the doomed lackey Shuggie provides laughs with his listless presence. Even the background characters are given moments to inject a dose of sardonic humor that makes the familiar fresh.
These characters and the energetic cast salvage “Honey.” In the end, who did what to who and why means nothing. It’s how one survives in an unjust, cruel world that’s the theme and this collection of misfits provide the playbook to do so. They’ve found that lighthearted cynicism is the only way to get by.
2 1/2 Stars
