Thursday, March 28, 2024

“Don’t Worry Darling” Doesn’t Disappoint

My husband and I agree on only one genre of movies – thrillers. Village Theatre releases  “Don’t Worry Darling” on the Coronado big screen, and we are in! I have been looking forward to this movie as both a thriller lover and as a pop culture nut. The alleged behind-the-scenes drama with Florence Pugh, also known as “Ms. Flo” by director Olivia Wilde, piqued my interest.

The Beginning

The film starts out with my kind of party – martini glasses, couples laughing, all kinds of debauchery. A party guest comments, “drink like a sailor, look like a pin up doll.” That’s exactly what everyone looks like – straight out of a ’50s catalogue. Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Harry Styles) have unbelievable chemistry. Pugh has taken a leap away from Little Women where I saw her last as Amy. She is sexy and fierce. Styles, better known as a heartthrob for boy band One Direction, is very impressive in one of his first acting roles. Finally we have Chris Pines as Frank. Frank is the leader of this pseudo utopia and has a mystery and arrogance that draws you in.

Alice lives in blissful ignorance as a member of the “Victory Corporation” community. She and her housewife friends cook, clean, shop, swim, gossip, dance, and drink. Their husbands drive away every morning to work at the Victory Corporation and aren’t seen again until dinner and socializing time.

Florence Pugh as Alice and Harry Styles as Jack

The Turning Point

This daily routine repeats until Margaret, a former friend of Alice, vocalizes reservations about their community. Margaret asks, “Why are we here? We shouldn’t be here…” It is also shared that Margaret broke the rules and went the corporate headquarters. Alice begins to question her own life in the community, and her perfectly planned life starts to crumble around her. Why can’t they leave? What exactly does the Victory Corporation do? Why do people closest to Alice shut her down when she starts to voice her opinion? Also the question never answered, does Frank have a thing for Alice??

As with all thrillers, there is a turning point. The best thrillers have a twist you don’t see coming. “Don’t Worry Darling” does not disappoint. It is interesting, thought provoking, and has me on the edge of my seat, covered in goosebumps, muttering under my breath in disbelief. Pugh is an unstoppable force, she should win all of the awards for her portrayal of Alice. Also I can’t decide if she looks more like Hilary Duff or Hayden Panettiere. My husband, Greg, thinks Scarlett Johansson.

Final Thoughts

All in all, I can’t tell if there was off screen drama but the on screen drama was top notch. I am left thinking about this film long after I leave the theater. Greg comments that he likes the premise, but feels there is more of the plot that could use expansion. While I concur, I also appreciate that the film is kept to about the two hour mark. These three hour movies are too much for this mom of two under two!

Movie times: click here

Genre: Thriller, Drama, Mystery

Director: Olivia Wilde

Actors: Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde

Running Time: 2 hours 3 minutes

Rating: Rated R for sexuality, language, and violent content

 

 



Alyssa K. Burns
Alyssa K. Burns
Alyssa is a graduate of Coronado High School and was in the founding broadcast journalism class at CHS. She earned her BA in Communication from CSU East Bay and completed her MBA from CSU San Marcos. Her passion for writing and interest in the behind the scenes of business, leads her to write frequently about Coronado businesses. You can find Alyssa walking around the ferry landing with her husband and shih-tzu terrier or enjoying a cup of coffee at one of Coronado's favorite cafes.Have a story for The Coronado Times to cover? Send news tips or story ideas to: [email protected]

More Local News