What’s it about?

Honey O’Donahue (Margaret Qualley) is a hard-drinking, fast-talking PI who suspects foul play when a prospective client turns up dead.

What’d we think?

Following on from last year’s disappointing Driveaway Dolls (also starring Margaret Qualley), Honey Don’t! is the second movie in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s supposed trilogy of lesbian B-movie crime capers, and while it’s a step up from the previous entry it still suffers from the same problems as it’s predecessor.

Qualley does a great job of giving the character of Honey some sparkle, and she’s supported by a great turn from Chris Evans as a sleazy pastor and a surprisingly straight (no pun intended) performance from Aubrey Plaza. The colourful side characters and shady goings-on evoke the structure and spirit of hardboiled detective fiction while you’re watching, but it all kinda falls apart upon reflection. Not enough loose threads are tied up by the end, and quite a lot of the movie’s events seem completely detached from Honey’s investigation. Threads being left hanging and unanswered questions are almost a staple of of the genre and aren’t inherently negative, but there’s an imbalance between setup and payoff that ultimately feels unsatisfying.

At a snappy 90 minutes it’s still an easy one to recommend – you’ll be left wanting more, and if you don’t think about it too much that’ll be a good thing.