Review: Don't Worry Darling

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

Olivia Wilde's sophomore feature, "Don't Worry Darling," may only be intermittently compelling and its creepy spell begins to wear off once we've figured out exactly what's going on, but I'll say this for it -  it looks fabulous, from the retro clothing and set design down to the gorgeous, shimmering imagery. Despite a twist that is eerie in its timeliness, the film has some gaping plot holes, an explanation that won't hold up to scrutiny and narrative choices that borrow heavily from better movies.

As the film opens, Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh) is a housewife in a suburban desert town somewhere in the west in what appears to be the early to mid-1960s. She lives an existence similar to every other woman on her perfectly-designed street: She makes her husband, Jack (singer Harry Styles), breakfast and sees him off as he drives his convertible to work in single file with all of the other men and has a cocktail in hand ready for him when he arrives home in the evening. 

But something seems off. The men all work for a mysterious organization known as the Victory Project, which they keep top secret from their wives - and the women seemingly don't think to ask what it is they actually do. However, Alice does just that after another housewife - the only Black one in the community - seemingly loses her mind and eventually commits suicide in front of Alice.

Alice begins to question their existence, especially after seeing a plane crash and the driver of her trolley acts passively about it. In all honesty, the plane crash is never quite explained and acts as an odd transition for Alice's eyes being opened to the nefariousness of the Victory Project and its cult-like leader, Frank (Chris Pine). As Alice begins asking questions, the men pass her off as hysterical and even her best friend, neighbor Bunny (Olivia Wilde), distances herself from her.

There are some compelling concepts at play in "Don't Worry Darling" - for example, men trying to control every aspect of women's lives and men not believing women when they tell them that their lives are in peril - that feel especially prescient, considering the current national mood. Also, the gorgeously styled visuals and exquisite set designs go a long way to make up for the film's trouble spots.

Ultimately, the good doesn't quite outweigh the not-so-great in "Don't Worry Darling." When you finally realize what's going on in the film, it's less of a revelation and more of a question whether the filmmakers couldn't have come up with a better twist. There are echoes of other - and in some cases, better - films here such as "Vanilla Sky" or "The Stepford Wives." 

Also, while I'm not a stickler for over-explaining complicated plots, the twist in "Don't Worry Darling" leads to a whole lot of questions that probably have no enlightening answers. The more you scrutinize what is going on in the picture - especially once you know its secret - the less sense it makes. 

This is a film that is often great to look at and one that introduces some interesting concepts - especially in regard to the freedom of women to decide their own fates and make their own choices - but it ultimately doesn't know how to make them cohere into a satisfying whole. The film gets points for trying, but it's not quite successful in its endeavors.