#don’t worry darling review

[woah1kavinsky]

Don’t worry darling review?

So I had the pleasure of watching the movie last night and it was good. I don’t know why people are talking about plot holes and it being obvious, it was a good movie and Florence was incredible.

I won’t say anything else since everything I wanna say includes spoilers, but I love and feel bad for jack <3

P.s Harry was good in the movie but there were parts were I cringed so bad

[blackandwhlteaesthetlc]

When you said you also watched an early screening of mp, does that mean you also saw dwd? If so, impressions? If not, sorry about the ask!!!

I honestly can’t WAIT for this dwd shit to be over and start with mp promo. I’m soooooo looking forward to that!!!!

No need to apologize, anon ❤️

Just finished a big dinner so I’ll do my best to express myself coherently. 😂

Yes, I also watched DWD. It was at an early screening LAST YEAR. I can’t stress that enough. I haven’t watched it recently and I don’t intend to watch it again. I don’t even have a desire to watch it illegally but if people absolutely want to view it? Save your money and find a link here @igotthecinemapop

Be gay, do crime, etc & so forth.

Anyway, I signed multiple NDAs which is pretty standard for the type of event I attended where it was shown. The film is out now so I can share my thoughts freely but please know I’ve been DYING this whole time and really wish I could’ve shared more much sooner. I’m really boring and not a rule breaker though so here we are a year later. 😅

Moving on…You can probably guess I’m not a fan of the movie. And here I’m going to do my absolute best to remove my bias from the situation and explain why speaking strictly as someone that loves and studies film:

The writing is incredibly weak. Multiple plot holes with scenes that go absolutely no where and are never explained. The one that drives me the most crazy is an unnecessary plane crash. Listen, you can have confusing or disorienting scenes so you as the audience member start to take Alice’s side and root for her. She’s confused, you’re confused (we’re all confused, bro) so subconsciously you’re invested in her story and want her to get out of there. But there’s no satisfying payoff to these scenes. It was a jumble of weirdness edited together, it seems, to make you go “huh?” and nothing more.

Cringy, flat dialogue delivered by two-dimensional characters. Kiki Layne and Gemma Chan deserved better. It hasn’t escaped by attention all this time that these two women are woc but were pushed to the background (both in the movie and during promo) in favor of the director getting more screen time. Harry and Chris Pine also deserved better.

Speaking of Harry. Oh, Harry. Jack Chamber’s motivation to incapacitate his girlfriend because she works too many hours and doesn’t have time for him? The “twist” is explained in a rush at the end of the film so when this was revealed, I was already annoyed and disappointed. But this? All that build up to the lamest “ta-da” I’ve seen in a while.

It borrows too blatantly from other more notable films, including GET OUT, THE STEPFORD WIVES, SUSPIRIA, ROSEMARY’S BABY, INCEPTION…I can go on but you get it. And by borrowed, I mean the exact storylines, character designs (Violet has a pixie cut and is a wide-eyed newcomer to the town, too reminiscent of Mia Farrow as Rosemary), actual scene structures. I’m thinking particularly of the ballet studio scenes that had Suspiria written all over it. But Olivia’s “reimagining” did absolutely nothing new except just copy, copy, copy. These weren’t homages, it was just lazy plagiarism. Please watch any of the above, and I can absolutely recommend more, to see how a story like this can actually be executed well.

Was it pretty to look at? Yes. When I got out, I immediately thought “okay, well that’s a nomination for Cinematography and Costumes for sure.” Now, given how everything how panned out? Idk anymore. It may still get technical recognitions, possibly for music too. But I don’t see any acting nominations. If Flo or Chris Pine get nominated, I can’t imagine they’ll campaign too hard for it. And really I don’t blame them.

And now that I’ve brought up acting, I’ll say this about Harry. There are moments, I felt, he overacted because the scene called for him to have big emotions. He’s still a novice to this but he was leagues better in MP so I’m eager to see what he does next, outside of Eternals, because he has tons of promise to get better and better. I think he does well in quieter moments and has a good sense of comedic timing. His face is so expressive, you can see real emotion there when it’s needed. But sometimes, just sometimes, you could see him reaching or trying to pull the emotion forward too forcefully. And it took me out of a couple scenes while watching him DWD. I think he did much better in MP because Tom as a character can be stiffer and more reserved. But don’t get me wrong, his scenes with Emma and David were lovely. I think he felt a real comfort there that allowed him to let go completely.

I don’t think I’ve said anything new here but those were my thoughts from a year ago and I’m sad to see that so many reviews since Venice echoed those same thoughts exactly all this time later. Nothing seemed to get fixed and it’s a shame. I’ve already shared my thoughts on the marketing so no need to reiterate that again.

My last thought is I’m just disappointed for everyone involved that sought out to make a genuinely interesting and entertaining movie without any bullshit. They were let down by the studio and the director in a truly gross fashion.

[cigsandchampagne]

No one asked for it but here are my thoughts after watching Dont Worry Darling:

I really don’t like Olivia W and I hate this stunt but I’m gonna keep my feeling about that off this and try to take about it as if idk anything about Harry or the stunt.

SPOILERS AHEAD

I’m on mobile so I can’t put it under a cut sorry

So a quick recap. Alice and Jack just moved to a community called Victory. Alice I’d a housewife, Jack works everyday and a technical engineer? Alice starts having weird visions and weird shit starts happening around her. Eventually she starts questioning wtf is going on, what her husband is really doing for work, wtf is up with his boss etc. eventually she realizes her bf Jack has put her in a simulation and that in reality she was an overworked nurse (?) surgeron(?) idk and he’s kind of lame and has no job lol. He put her in a simulation and he gets to live in the real world to make money to pay for the simulation and come back to her for a few hours everyday where they get to live the perfect life. She figures everything out and tries to escape.

I guess I’ll start with things I liked?

The outfits were great. The aesthetic was pretty in general. Florence was great. Chris was great. Gemma was great (scary but great. I always see her in movies as this super Nice, innocent, sweet, etc. but seeing her be a bit more sinister was noiiice, I wish she wasn’t pushed as some random background character and I wish I got to see more of her character fleshed out a bit. She was sexy af.) Harry was good, he played his role well and although there were moments where he over acted a bit or was a bit stiff (I think the scenes where he had an American accent was stiff and I think it’s because he had to use an accent so he wasn’t as natural in those scenes), overall he was a believable Jack.

So here are a few things I had issues with.

There were so many random scenes that didn’t really get tied up. Like, what was up with the empty eggs? This was before everything, literally like 10 mins in. She hadn’t seen Margaret at this point or met Frank. It was just there and then moves back to a normal scene. What happened to the plane? Where did it come from? Was it just a virus or a glitch? Cause Margaret was holding a plane too. Is the plane something people see when they’re starting to question the simulation? They never explain. There was alot of annoying talking over each other that I understand was supposed to make it look like just regular people chattering about going on with their normal lives but I feel like there was alot of unnecessary talking that don’t really push the plot. Lot of random filler scenes for the aesthetic where something else could’ve been added to maybe flesh out other characters more. Speaking of that, Let’s talk about Gemma. I’ve only ever seen her as a “good girl” in other roles so it was really nice to see her play someone who got angry lol. But I wanted to know more about her character. Was she in In on it? Was she the mastermind the entire time? What were her motivations? Her character was interesting and I would’ve loved to have seen more. Bunny’s character was also another weird one. She eventually comes clean and tells Alice that she knows wtf is going on, that she chose this life. Does that mean she put her husband in the simulation? If she did then shouldn’t she be the one leaving everyday? If so then why was he trying to get Alice in the end and protect the secret. Does he also know and just decided that they’ll do this together? Another thing was confused about was the scene where the twist was revealed, the question are asks who their chosen partner is and whether or not they have a relationship outside of the simulation. Does it mean that all the people in there are real life partners or did some random weirdo asshole just kidnap a woman and bring them there to be their wife? Idk that one doesn’t really matter that’s just me overthinking. And back again to Frank and Shelley, are they both free to come and go to the simulation as they please? What about the kids? Are all kids fake or just Bunny’s? Is the pregnant one always pregnant? Or does she eventually have that baby? When Alice was “reset” and came back brand new, how long after that did she remember everything again? Can everyone be reset? Why didn’t they just reset Margaret? What was up with the tap dancing? Was Frank just trying to humiliate Jack? And then ending, we assume that she wakes up because of the sound of her gasping but does that mean she’s free or were there guys waiting for her wherever she was to then take her out in the real world?

Over all, I feel like this movie could’ve been very interesting if it had better writing and directing. There are so many scenes that felt unnecessary that took space for scenes that could’ve tied up some lose ends. The pacing also felt off, we never know how much time passes in between black outs, or just between scenes in general. Specially at the end after she’s been reset. I couldn’t tell if it all took place in a couple weeks or have they been there for years. I’m assuming so considering Jacks hair? If so, how did she get triggered all of a sudden to wake up? Idk I just feel like there are so many unanswered questions and holes in the story that could’ve been answered if they weren’t trying to make the movie look so pretty. At the end of it, o feel like Harry got it right. This movie feels like a movie. If you like watching movies to turn off your brain and suspend disbelief and you aren’t they type to overthink/over analyze, then this movie would be entertaining enough for you. If you’re the type who likes deeper psychological thrillers, then you might end up going “huh?” At the end of the movie.

[natasharomanoffismywife]

I finally got around to seeing don’t worry darling,here are my thoughts and reactions to it and why I feel everyone will walk away from the movie being a massive Florence Pugh fan!

[itslottiehere]

dwd (i hope) spoiler free review here!!

alright, first a little disclaimer: i watched the italian dubbed version, even if i searched everywhere for the original version. as soon as it’s out somewhere, i’ll check out the OV as well!

personally, before i saw any spoilers or anything, i guessed the plot and (basically) the whole movie by the trailer. it really gives a way a lot of stuff in my opinion, so that was a bit of a bummer!

i absolutely enjoyed the photography — truly, very nice work — and the costumes are crazy good. they really deserve all the praise.

i wanted specify that i watched the dubbed version because i believe that it helped harry a lot. i didn’t hear his voice while delivering the lines, so i can’t have a say on that aspect. what i will say is that, for me, he has good expressions — perhaps, micro expressions is a better way to put it —, but when he has to convey bigger emotions... eh. i really think that he needs to take a bit more time to get close to master those. which is understandable, this being his second movie and his first one where he had more than a few lines.

the dubbing, on the other hand, went against florence’s performance. now, she was absolutely amazing, she’s truly a terrific actress. but i just know that her performance in the original version is going to be wayyy better. but really, she was the star of this movie.

as for the other characters, i do have to say that i wished some characters had more space and development — especially two characters — instead of the focus some others had.

about the whole focus that was put on the film, of it being “about female pleasure”, i think that if we expand the definition of pleasure outside the sex aspect of it, it can actually make more sense. as i watched the film, i understood that in this scenario the female pleasure is strictly attached to being safe, to have a loving husband, a quiet community.

all in all, i believe that the movie wasn’t all bad. it’s not a masterpiece, it’s not one of those once in a lifetime movies (especially since it’s almost the same storyline as “stepford wives”), it’s not groundbreaking. it’s a good movie, that could’ve done way more.

for me, it’s a 6/10 at most. i’m no movie expert, so it’s really about what i personally liked!

[samandcolbypost]

Took my friends to see Dont Worry Darling for my my birthday, they loved it and want to see it again! 😂

Their reviews:

“The cinematography was really good, you can see literally every detail.” This comes from my friend who is really into theater :) if that helps!

“It was better than I expected.” I told them it’s okay to laugh or whatever but apparently I made it sound like it was bad 😂 tbh I didn’t know how it was going to turn out because I only saw reviews and random clips.

“Wish it had a better ending.” We all agreed on this one! I actually just sent them a video of what the original ending was supposed to be before it was changed ☹️

“Alice loved Jack, but Jack didn’t love her like she did.” 😭 Omg I hated Jack so much, especially the scenes where she was trying to tell him but he ignored her.

Florence and Harry were amazing!

I didn’t expect the alternate reality part

Told them the drama which they agree is f up.

7.5/10

[twopoppies]

Finally, an article that points out one of the main problems with this film.

Unfortunately, the discrepancy between what the film seems to be trying to do (or what Wilde says it’s doing) and what it’s actually doing has the opposite effect. The twist (spoilers, again) – that Pugh’s Alice has been trapped in a 50s simulation because her internet-poisoned boyfriend, Styles’s Jack, wants her to himself all the time – is shocking, in that it’s borderline offensive for a film Wilde has hyped for female pleasure to have said pleasure be nonconsensual, in the service of captivity. But it turns the brain off rather than on. You’d have to not think much to find it surprising, or to not poke holes in it immediately (What did the plane mean? Did no one have any sense of personal history? Why did Gemma Chan’s character turn on Chris Pine’s Frank?! Pugh is completely convincing throughout, but why did Alice, supposedly a smart character, confess her skepticism to Wilde’s Bunny and not Kiki Layne’s Margaret?) And you’d have to really not think to find it some sort of feminist statement.

[…]

I wrote […] how Promising Young Woman demonstrated the limits of #MeToo rage on-screen, how the film’s insistence on everyone reaching their worst potential felt dead-ending; there’s little room to explore the slipperiness of complicity, the corrosive effects of trauma, in a bifurcated world of good and bad people. Don’t Worry Darling feels like an even shallower, cheaper version of this. Men are bad, and? Misogyny runs deep, and? There’s a well-shot sequence of Jack going down on Alice, to what end? It’s certainly not pleasure, given what we learn of Alice’s prison, nor is it in service of some greater idea.

In the end, I do root for Don’t Worry Darling, as a non-IP film and a big swing by a female film-maker. It’s fun to see on a big screen. But like the Victory Project, it’s also a ruse – selling one thing, delivering something else.

Full article here. Thank you @blackandwhlteaesthetlc for sending it to me.

[daisiesonafield-blog]

I AM SCREAMING HOW DO YOU GUYS COME UP WITH THIS LMAO

[shiningstarr15]

So I just got back from seeing “Don’t Worry Darling”

DO NOT LISTEN TO THE CRITICS, the movie is actually really good!!

The visuals are STUNNING. It feels a lot of times that your on an acid trip and has you questioning what you’re seeing.

It does a PHENOMENAL job at tackling the concept of gaslighting and manipulation. I felt myself tearing up at certain points bc I’ve also been made to believe I’m insane before.. it’s a horrible feeling and nobody deserves that kinda abuse.

THE TWIST IS ACTUALLY INSANE. I found myself trying to figure out what was going on t throughout the whole thing and I never saw it coming! And once it was revealed I literally sat there with my jaw DROPPED.

As far as the performances go, you already know what I’m gonna say.

Florence. Pugh. fucking. killed. it!!!!!

This had BETTER get her that Oscar or I swear there is something WRONG with Hollywood! This is by far her best performance to DATE!!

And even Harry Styles, despite that one clip that was released led everyone to believe, is actually a decent actor himself. Yes he is obviously new to it and it definitely shows but he seriously has potential! Not everyone is able to transition smoothly into acting but those with the potential can be amazing. I have hope for him in the future!

And Chris Pine. Boy. Had me QUAKING IN MY BOOTS. Something about the sinisterness his character gives off. I got CHILLS. It doesn’t take just good writing to make the antagonist, it takes a good actor to perform it! AMAZING!

Look, as far as the drama goes surrounding the movie, idk what to say. Yea I’m pretty pissed off at Olivia lying about some stuff and then blatantly disrespecting Florence the way she did behind her back. But as far as the rest goes, it’s merely speculation right now. But I really hope it doesn’t deter people from watching the movie bc it truly is a good one! Go and see it for yourself! 😃

If not just to see the beauty herself Florence Pugh on the big screen again where she belongs 😜💖🥰

[suburbandevil]

Perhaps this is a hot take, but despite all of the drama and maybe questionable editing/writing; Don’t Worry Darling is a good horror movie. I’m not here to talk about the flaws of the movie, that can be it’s whole own thing. What I want to say has been swimming around in my mind since I first saw it. Don’t Worry Darling is a horror movie FOR WOMEN. This movie I guess is more so classified in the psychological thriller or mystery genre, but watching this as someone who identifies as a women felt like a true honest to god horror movie. And I think any women would agree, especially if they’ve had a man in their lives who would do to them what Jack did to Alice. There’s a reason why movies like the Purge series haunt us so much, and that it is because it’s a horror we don’t have to suspend our disbelief for. If things went a certain way it’s a plausible situation, or at least feels like one. I feel like a lot of the reviews I’ve seen for this movie come from men (I’m not going to focus on the ones that just went for Harry), and they always feel like they are missing the point of the story. This story feels very real to me because I’ve known men who were deranged enough to do something like that. Hell there are plenty of famous criminal cases of men doing something similar to what the story is to so many women in the world. It’s horrifying because it’s possible. The fear that comes with being a women; to always having to be on guard, to feeling like you always have to look over your shoulder, to fearing men because you never know which one is crazy enough to take advantage of you in some way. It’s all so real and raw. Don’t Worry Darling is one of the first real looks at that (at least to me), and the horrifying danger women are in because of mens warped perception of women. The fear and discomfort I felt in that movie theater when I first saw it could not be overlooked, and I don’t think it should be for any women who felt the same. I hate that this movie has been practically forgotten in favor of the drama surrounding it because it really is good (though I would have loved to have seen it as a limited series), and it shows something so real and powerful and honest that I thought I’d never see on the big screen. A real reflection of the horror I’ve experienced at the hands of a man.

[bipolarwolfwarrior]

Found this while scrolling Netflix. I have a soft spot for Florence Pugh, but she was wonderful in this role. The plot is unique and has an awesome cast of actors 💜

Definitely leans towards the psychological side. It kept my attention throughout and I was surprised by the ending (which is rare these days). I give it a 7.3/10!

[imasiriuslydirtydaddy]

just finished Don’t Worry Darling…

Y’ALL IM IN AWE. THIS MOVIE IS SO DAMN GOOD

obviously i’d heard it’s good and when i saw it’s one Netflix and had the motivation to watch i decided i’d better watch it then or i never would and honestly i didn’t think i’d be super into it

definitely one of my top five movies now

the acting is AMAZING Florence Pugh never fails ✋ and Harry Styles was great too- the car scene?! UGH SO GOOD

and the soundtrack was amazing everyone knows music adds so much to what the audience feels but guys- THIS WAS SO GOOD kinda reminded me of Squid Game’s music but the tone was so different cause of the visuals. in Squid Game that music gives you some kind of excited anticipation, but in DWD it has you curled up, tense, and ready to run. that shit kept me on my toes way more than those hallucinations(?) ever did.

speaking of ^ they confused me (mostly at first) but they add so much- it really helps you understand how Alice is feeling and why it’s making her feel so out of place and on edge

AND THE PLOT TWISTS PEOPLE GOOD GRIEF (spoilers here) as i mentioned the cat scene earlier, when Alice is being taken away, my jaw was dropped, my fingers lax, and my eyes wide. i was suspicious when they first got in and he said “I’m sorry” but their earlier conversation about leaving reassured me. until he started crying and the red guys game- HER SCREAMING AS SHE WAS PULLED AWAY AND HIS SOBS AND RAGE- HOLY SHIT GUYS IT WAS AMAZING

and when she found out the truth Jack made me so mad and then she killed him and i was like YES ALICE LETS GO (though i thought he was just unconscious at first) AND WHEN BUNNY CAME TO HELP (she kinda seemed a little crazy when talking about her kids ngl) AND BILL’S CHARACTER BREAK “this wasn’t supposed to happen they said this wouldn’t happen” AND THE OTHER GUY YELLING AT HIM UGH I WAS SO SHOCKED AND READY TO GOOOO

but it was so good 10/10 recommend

[blackandwhlteaesthetlc]

this one is ruthless "“Darling” really is an auteur picture, replete with traits Wilde has let fly in recent interviews. It’s pompous … , humorless …, condescending …, entitled …, and more"--> rogerebert com/festivals/venice-film-festival-2022-the-whale-the-ghost-of-richard-harris-dont-worry-darling

😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨

[letterboxd-worth-a-damn]

[papiermachecat]

Did you like it?

I did! I posted a very insubstantial review on my (wildly popular) twitter lol. Basically I though Harry was very good, particularly at shouting and at wide-eyed beseeching looks. I thought Olivia was great as Bunny—her scene towards the end with Alice was the most moving one of the film IMO, along with the car scene (and the interaction that led to it) with Jack & Alice. I didn’t yawn even once which is very impressive considering I’m an old lady and it was past my bedtime and I’ve had a particularly exhausting week. There are a couple things I’m still mulling over—I actually wish it were based on a book, because it’s exactly the sort of film that had an interesting enough storyline to make me think okay I need more details, I’m going to read the book. I prefer neatly wrapped endings (a “3 years later” is ideal) but i knew going in that wasn’t going to be the case so I dealt with it. It was beautiful to look at, interesting, and I’m going to put some spoiler-y stuff in my tags ☺️

[millykerr]

john powell music in don’t worry darling