Film Review - "Don't Worry Darling"

This is going to be quick, and harsh, but frankly deserved.

Don't Worry Darling

Directed by Olivia Wilde,

Starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, and Chris Pine

Don't Worry Darling is the second directorial feature from Olivia Wilde (I have not seen Booksmart). The film focuses on happily married couple Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) Chambers, living in a company town of Victory, overseen by its founder Frank (Pine. I don't remember if the character had a last name. It doesn't matter anyway). Victory is a perfect suburban utopia, where the husbands go to work, and the wives stay home and do domestic duties. But one day, Alice notices things aren't as perfect as they seem in Victory, and begins to search for answers, despite warnings from her husband and peers.

So yes, this sounds like a lot of other films that have come before, such as The Stepford Wives, Pleasantville, The Truman Show, and Get Out to name a few. Nothing new here, right? Well as I've learned in all my years of studying and watching films, it's not the tool it's how use it and-no, no Don't Worry Darling brings nothing new to the table...

It's very easy for viewers to get a grasp on the "big twist" of where the film is going. Instead of trying to craft a compelling narrative, Wilde and Screenwriter Katie Silberman seem determined to push the big reveal off for as long as possible in its 123 minute runtime (The film feels more like four hours long than two and change). There are lot of surreal and bizarre moments throughout, that in the end mean nothing to the plot, and are just all sizzle and no steak. At one point Florence Pugh's character is making breakfast. She cracks an egg open and finds nothing inside. Just a hollow shell. A perfect metaphor for this film.

Speaking of Florence Pugh, she deserves an Honorary Academy Award and chiropractor for carrying this film on her back. The passion and effort she puts into her performance is meant for a much better film. Chris Pine also deserves credit for his portrayal as Frank. Pine perfectly capture the charming yet sinister nature needed for this role. There's a confrontation scene between Pugh and Pine in the film, and it's frankly (Heh. Frank) the best part of the film because you've got your two strongest players showing the rest how it's done.

Alright, I'll talk about Harry Styles...I have nothing against this guy trying to have a side-gig as an actor. But...he needs more practice. For the majority of the film I truly think his performance is fine. It's when he has to raise his voice, or get angry, is when the cracks start to show. You've all seen the face from that one scene. It's a meme at this point. I will admit I had to stifle laughter when I saw it.

Let's see. What else...Olivia Wilde's performance is fine. Gemma Chan and Nick Kroll have some fleeting shining moments in their supporting roles. The cinematography and set-design is very pretty. Um...yeah that's it.

It's sad when the behind-the-scenes drama of a film is more entertaining than the film itself, but Don't Worry Darling is an incredibly frustrating narrative that raises more questions than answers, as it tries to avoid the cliche' story foundation its built upon. I describe it as jingling shiny keys in front of a baby to entertain or distract them, and we are not babies, and it's insulting (Wait, you're an actual infant watching Don't Worry Darling? My God where are your parents?!?). I think "sophomore slump" is the best way to describe this second film from Olivia Wilde. I cannot even say it's like The Room, where you need to see for yourself how bad it is, or "its so bad its good". No, don't worry darling (Ha...) there's nothing to see here...

Film Review - “Black Widow”

Black Widow

Directed by Cate Shortland

Starring Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, and David Harbour

To say Scarlett Johansson’s first solo outing as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was long over-due feels like a bad joke now. Frankly, it was overdue long before the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its release for over a year. Ever since the character first appeared in Iron Man 2 fans have wanted her to have her own solo film. When it was finally announced Black Widow was going to be made, it couldn’t help but feel a bit bittersweet.

Learning it was going to be a prequel, and then watching her death in Avengers: Endgame (Still say it should’ve been Hawkeye) made Black Widow feel somewhat like an afterthought, and a squandering of potential. Johansson has always been great as Natasha, and has had plenty of screen time across the MCU. But it feels like so much more could’ve been done with the character, and now we’re just left to wonder “What If?” Pun absolutely intended.

But finally last month Black Widow was released in theaters and on Disney Plus Premier Access (For better or worse). Despite external circumstances, I found it to be a very enjoyable entry in the MCU, however not without its flaws.

Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Natasha (Johansson) is on the run form Secretary Ross (William Hurt) and the US military after violating the Sokovia Accords. Life in hiding is peaceful for all of five minutes until her surrogate sister Yelena Bologna (Pugh) sends her a package that puts her in the crosshairs of Taskmaster, a mercenary of the Red Room trained to mimic the fighting styles of The Avengers. 

The package contains an antidote to the mind-controlling agent used on all female operatives in the Black Widow program. Natasha reunites with Yelena, who tells her that the Red Room is still active, and Dreykov (Ray Winstone) the man in charge, is still alive. Natasha and Yelena set out to find the Red Room and stop Dreykov once and for all, while reuniting with their surrogate parents Alexei Shostakov/The Red Guardian (Harbour) and Melina Vostokoff (Rachel Weisz), who also went through the Red Room’s training.

The film does a great job of providing us with the origins of Natasha without making it a straight origin story. The opening sequence, a flashback to the undercover life of “The Widow Family” in Ohio 1995, sets up the rest of the film perfectly. The overall tone and themes of this film make it one of the more intense and darker chapters in the MCU. Viewers can certainly resonate with what the film has to say about the treatment of women and how society values them. This is all fitting for a character with a history like Black Widow’s. Natasha has been a character constantly haunted by her past, and determined to “wipe the red out of her ledger” as she told Tom Hiddelston’s Loki in the original Avengers, and this story is built to service that arc.

Every MCU film feels in some way different than the others, and Black Widow feels like a real espionage adventure. The action scenes in this film are intense, exhilarating, and harken back to those from Captain America: The Winter Solider and Civil War. A few in the film’s third act are some of its best. But the film’s real strengths are the dynamics between its characters. The Widow Family work together really well, and you really believe they are a family. They poke fun at each other, they hate each other, and they love each other. It’s a perfectly written family dynamic, warts and all. This is in no small part due to the performances.

Scarlett Johansson has always been great as Natasha, and in this film we see why we fell in love with the character. The charm, the heart and the wit she has poured into the character for the past decade is all on display here. Unfortunately she sorts of falls into the same situation of the late Chadwick Boseman in Black Panther, where her supporting cast can outshine her. Florence Pugh establishes herself as a new MVP of the MCU. She brings a lot of heart and humor to the table as Yelena, and her chemistry with Johansson is incredible (Really sad it might be the only time we see them together). David Harbour is incredible as the Red Guardian. He was my favorite part of the film, playing this perfect goofy superhero dad with a misplaced ego. Rachel Weisz has a lot of good moments as Melina, but sadly I feel like the script didn’t give her enough opportunity to shine.

OT Fagbenle and William Hurt are fine as Rick Mason and Secretary Ross, but they’re just kind of there to help the plot along, and connect this to Phase Three’s narrative. Ray Winstone as Dreykov is…ok. He’s a talented actor but the script also does him no favors, and he turns out to be one of the weaker villains of the franchise. It’s is unfortunate because the film spends a lot of time building him up as this monster, but it’s a lot of tell and no show. Now is probably a good point to transition into what I thought didn’t work in the film.

I think the best way to sum up Black Widow’s shortcomings is it could’ve been so much more. I don’t necessarily mean “It could take place in present day post-Endgame with Natasha still alive” You can have this film set in the past and it’d still be effective. But the problem of “show, not tell” does not just pertain to Ray Winstone’s Dreykov. There are a lot of conversations between characters about things, really interesting, harrowing things we really should’ve seen as viewers. The pacing of the film sort of suffers as a result of this. I understand the whole film can’t be action sequences, but when this is the long overdue solo story of an OG Avenger, and possibly the last time we'll see her, you kinda want to give us all you got. We understand to a degree what Natasha has been through because we’ve had six films with her already, but that’s not a free pass to skimp on character work in this film.

It’s interesting how Dreykov is the film’s primary antagonist, when all the marketing had propped Taskmaster up in that position. Unfortunately, Taskmaster is probably as equally underdeveloped. Now avoiding spoilers here, but I don’t subscribe to the “#NotMyTaskmaster campaign” circling the internet right now. I enjoyed the portrayal of him in this film, even if it’s not what everyone expected given the character’s history. I thought he worked really well to service Natasha’s story, but we needed more time with the character to understand him better.

Black Widow may fall short of becoming one of the MCU’s greatest, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth your time. It’s thrilling, emotional, and a good time at the movies, which is what we all need right now, and what we expect from Marvel. Pandemic aside, it is sadly a bit of a victim of circumstance, but within the parameters set for her, director Cate Shortland crafts a entertaining adventure for Natasha Romanoff that beautifully serves this beloved character.

I like many hope this is not the last we see of the Black Widow (although a certain lawsuit might be dwindling those chances as we speak), but I also hope this film stands as a touching tribute to original female Avenger and her importance to this powerhouse franchise…and it still should’ve been Hawkeye.