Olivia Wilde's second directorial effort is nowhere near as bad as I expected it to be given the firestorm of behind-the-scenes drama and production troubles. But it's also just not nearly as interesting or as well-put-together as it ought to be given it's fierce, original, thrilling premise.

It's a sleek-looking production, and Wilde does some very smooth work behind the camera. Most of the performances are extremely good (especially Florence Pugh's), but some of the supporting cast does put a little too much ham into their work.

Despite some clunky dialogue that consists largely of repetitive empty platitudes, the story is able to build a lot of intrigue with its intelligent placement of bizarre happenings. It causes its audience to ask questions and tests their patience by withholding and bestowing information in just the right doses.

This intrigue lasts for the first two acts, although the film's character development unfortunately falls to the wayside because the mystery was given all the attention.

It's a shame, because the third act and final twists of the story make all the nuance and complexity of the mysterious characters and world-building slip away.

At the film's conclusion, I was left dissatisfied. Dissatisfied with the fact that the villains' motivations were oversimplified to the point that their actions no longer make much sense.

It's like they deliberately planned to go about achieving their goals in the most convoluted, difficult way possible and in a way that would make them the most vulnerable that they could possibly be. It's a laughable ending with hilariously half-baked twists.

Don't Worry Darling is one of those movies that's bursting with imaginative, intriguing ideas, but never quite finds a way to put them together in a satisfying, coherent way. It's messy and not particularly satisfying as a result.

Don't Worry Darling (2022) is a movie my wife and I saw in theatres last night. The storyline follows an isolated 1950s community where the men go to work and the women stay home and clean and cook every day. Jack and Alice are the next hot couple on the rise where Jack is rising within his employer and Alice is rising within the social classes. When her best friend loses her minds and starts revealing things about the community, Alice starts realizing something isn't quiet right also.

This picture is directed by and stars Olivia Wilde (Booksmart) and also stars Florence Pugh (Midsommar), Harry Styles (Dunkirk), Chris Pine (Star Trek), KiKi Layne (If Beale Street Could Talk) and Gemma Chan (Crazy Rich Asians).

The storyline for this picture reminded me of a mix of Stepford Wives, Wanda Vision and Logan's Run. The premise has a lot of potential and was set up well; however, the movie doesn't unfold as well or intensely as I would have liked it to. The cinematography, attire, look and feel was perfect. The casting fit the premise well. Pine was a tremendous "villain." I even liked the subplots and backstory...but something feels a bit lacking the entire movie. While some of the dramatic scenes didn't work for me (the Saran Wrap scene and the face against the windows sequences), I will say from the discovery of what's going on through the end was entertaining and well executed.

Overall, this is one of those movies where the entire film it feels like it's missing something. You can't put your finger on it; but whatever "it" is, this is missing "it." I would score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

The Good: I have to give credit where it's due; Don't Worry Darling is a fun, daring movie with some great attributes. The performances, particularly by Florence Pugh and Chris Pine, are honestly great. Styles does surprisingly well too, being a compelling and interesting character. He and Pugh have great physical chemistry - even if it doesn't seem to go much beyond that - and I can see how their scenes perhaps, um...led to tension of set (if you know the story behind this movie, you'll get what I mean).

This movie looks fantastic. Victory, the fictional desert oasis this film takes place in, is a gorgeous little 1950s inspired American suburb; the costumes, the food, the houses, they all look great and you'd be forgiven to for seeing the appeal of a place like it. There are some scenes that look so good, I almost wanted them to go on longer just to spend a little more time in these places (i.e. The dance hall, the clubhouse). One thing I've noticed in 2022 is that we're beginning to see technology, technique, and will come together, producing some of the most beautiful looking films I've seen in years come out. For all its problems, Don't Worry Darling is shot very well and looks very expensive.

The Bad: Unfortunately, Don't Worry Darling falls flat where storytelling is concerned. It's one of those movies that makes sense in hindsight - you can see the breadcrumbs the movie leaves that hints to the ultimate conclusion.

It's not particularly surprising, but it is an interesting idea. While I'm happy the film was more subtle than I'd imagine, it would've been nice to interrogate and explore the themes and ideas the film raises. There are way too many redundant hallucinations that take up too much time. We don't get a sense of how anything in this world happens, we don't get a lot of context on the other people in Victory, how the program works etc.

I don't think films need to over explain every aspect of their story. Some things can be let up to interpretation or ambiguous. But I have to wonder why so much of this film feels like it's treading water until the big reveal? Not much truly happens for a bulk of it. It's a shame, because Pugh really gives it her all as Alice, but she's a pretty hollow character despite all the time we spend with her.

The Ugly: I'd describe Don't Worry Darling as Stepford Wives + The Matrix + The Truman Show + Pleasantville. It wears its inspirations on its sleeves, it's not close to those films in terms of quality, but I can appreciate the attempt.

Also, I love a movie with good food scenes and this one ticks that box. Have a big bag of popcorn ready if you're going to watch.