Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling is the most contentious picture of the summer, but its mediocrity is obscured by the rumors surrounding the on-set drama between Florence Pugh and Harry Styles.
When questioned about Olivia Wilde‘s second film Don’t Worry Darling, Harry Styles stated in an interview at the Venice Picture Festival that his favorite aspect of the film is that it seems like a movie.
He was correct. Scenery, personalities, and fascinating concept are all present. Don’t Worry Darling concludes the summer of Hollywood blockbusters with style, flowing with splendor yet missing in complete formation, much like Styles’ declaration.
In the 1950s utopian American town of Victory, Don’t Worry, Darling depicts the seemingly ideal existence of Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Jack O’Connell) (Harry Styles). Victory consists of white picket fences, cocktail parties, and lawns so well maintained that Norman Rockwell would punch the air.
As is typically the case with superficially ideal society, a utopia is seldom a utopia for “everyone.” Alice grows skeptical of the men’s daily jobs in the desert, where they are banned to bring their spouses, and the world’s facade begins to crumble almost immediately.
The drama surrounding the relationships between the actors and staff of this film has been the subject of extensive internet speculation, diverting viewers’ attention away from the film itself. Wilde reported in an August cover article for Variety that controversial actor Shia LaBeouf (Honeyboy, Transformers) had been sacked from the project, but LaBeouf contradicts these assertions. Nonetheless, LaBeouf was replaced with the more marketable Harry Styles (Dunkirk), whose scant acting experience posed a risk for the company.
Whether the casting decision eventually paid out creatively remains to be seen, but box office receipts have unquestionably grown as a result. While Styles’ acting is far better than the stolen web snippets led us to expect, the audience is constantly aware that they are witnessing “Harry Styles” in a movie posing as someone else. Possibly as a result of his tremendous popularity in popular culture, Harry Styles cannot be ignored as a brand. This series already aired and check out Don’t Worry Darling Release Date: Is This Film going to be available on Netflix?
In contrast, Pugh is the driving force throughout the sluggishly-paced duration. She can convey a fantastic combination of fragility and strength with only a trembling lip. When the pair is onscreen together, the divergent years of craft development between them are glaringly evident, and Styles’ presence appears mostly decorative in comparison to ‘Miss Flo’s performance.
However, Pugh and Styles have real chemistry, as proven by a steamy dinner sequence that elicited numerous audience whistles. Avoid seeing this with your grandmother unless she enjoys Watermelon Sugar.
Chris Pine and Gemma Chan are woefully misused as the model Victory couple, Frank and Shelley, despite Pine’s sinisterly suave portrayal, which adds new depths to the familiar villain archetype.
Katie Byron’s extraordinary production design merits a second look since the eye cannot possibly take in all the intricacies in a single image of the flawless antique set. The clothes and settings’ vibrant hues are a suitable diversion from the gloomy secrets of this restricted enclave.
Not to Worry The film Darling is a jumbled assortment of beautiful moments that hit like new ice in stagnant water. The premise and direction are daring, but Wilde’s writing is replete with tired psychological thriller tropes: the gaslighting husband, the dissident neighbor no one believes, and the dream sequences of drowning.
When the twist occurs, it is well-deserved, but it is diminished by the twenty minutes of subsequent action. There are several strands left untied, but they are not compelling enough to be pursued after the credits roll.
Wilde’s Don’t Worry, Darling is a nearly complete meditation on female hysteria that touches on the themes of Sylvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, but sells images rather than philosophy. While observing, you will be momentarily concerned, but you won’t care too much.