Common Sense Media Review
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Aimless lesbian crime comedy has nudity, lots of sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
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Honey Don't!
What's the Story?
In HONEY DON'T!, Honey O'Donahue (Margaret Qualley) is a private investigator in Bakersfield, California. When a potential client mysteriously dies in a car crash, Honey starts poking around and finds a connection to a church run by cult leader Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans). While digging for clues, Honey meets police officer MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza), and they begin an affair. At the same time, Honey gets worried about her niece, Corrine (Talia Ryder), who may be in an abusive relationship with a boyfriend. There's also a mysterious man hanging around town, a French woman (Lera Abova) on a Vespa, some shady drug deals, and more dead bodies. Honey must crack the mystery before she gets in too deep.
Is It Any Good?
The second in a proposed lesbian B movie trilogy from writer-director Ethan Coen and co-writer Tricia Cooke, this one lacks the spark of the first entry, Drive-Away Dolls. It's amusing, but it's also disconnected and aimless. Honey Don't! (the title comes from the 1956 Carl Perkins song, though Wanda Jackson's 1964 cover version is played during the closing credits) is probably at least partly deliberately convoluted, as an homage to the hard-boiled pulp stories that inspired it. But the pieces don't snap together particularly well. There's no reward. This has the effect of making the characters feel less rounded as well, although it's undeniable that Evans is having a ball playing the egomaniacal cult leader, and Plaza does what she does best as a cynical, brooding type.
But Qualley, who also starred in Drive-Away Dolls, is the best thing here, and her Honey is a character who might have worked quite nicely in some other movie. She gets some big laughs early on with her snappy, deadpan delivery and no-nonsense approach. And she's an unabashedly sexual character in a time when many filmmakers seem to be afraid of the subject. While Cooke and Coen are married co-parents here, Cooke identifies as queer and lesbian, and together the two are trying to reach an underserved audience with these movies, which is never a bad thing. But Honey Don't! just ... doesn't.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the violence in Honey Don't!. How did it make you feel? Was it exciting? Shocking? What did the movie show or not show to achieve this effect? Why is that important?
Talk about the movie's sexual content. How is it connected to the concept of an "exploitation movie"?
Compare the depictions of Honey and MG to other lesbian characters you've seen in movies and TV shows. Why is positive representation of underrepresented groups important?
The filmmakers deliberately set out to re-create the feel of a B movie. What does that mean to you? Did they succeed?
Movie Details
- In theaters : August 22, 2025
- On DVD or streaming : September 9, 2025
- Cast : Margaret Qualley , Aubrey Plaza , Chris Evans
- Director : Ethan Coen
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s) , Bisexual Movie Actor(s) , Latino Movie Actor(s) , Female Movie Writer(s)
- Studio : Focus Features
- Genre : Comedy
- Topics : Family Stories , Friendship , Holidays ( Valentine's Day )
- Run time : 88 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : strong sexual content, graphic nudity, some strong violence, and language
- Last updated : September 10, 2025
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