My friends and I had been looking forward to this movie for months… and then, suddenly, so was the rest of the world. The film’s reputation was immediately tainted by the insane amount of drama and rumors running rampant around the internet and soon, that was all anyone could talk about. Everyone was soon tweeting “I’m worried, darling.”
So, when we sat down in our seats on opening night, that’s what my friends and I were saying to each other. But, by the end of the film, that changed. I’m not sure what I was expecting from this movie, but whatever expectations I had, Don’t Worry Darling exceeded them.
I’m not sure how it happened, but Don’t Worry Darling is one of the best new films I have seen in a while. The performances from the entire cast are exquisite and perfectly fitted to the film’s tone. Florence Pugh is the leading lady, expressing every emotion in every form with care. Those who say Harry Styles is awkward clearly do not understand his character’s motives and personality at all. Chris Pine is hauntingly seductive, and Gemma Chan is a great partner for him. Side performances as intriguing as Kiki Layne’s and Nick Kroll’s did not deserve to be as under-utilized as they were. And yes, Olivia Wilde’s performance is just as good as her direction—and it’s good.
As much drama as this movie had attached to it, regarding Wilde specifically, her work and direction prove all the critics wrong. She sets the eerie tone right from the beginning and gives us an excellent introduction to the “Victory Project” (the mysterious civilization where the characters inhabit). No one knows exactly what happened behind the scenes, but Wilde did a phenomenal job with establishing the path of the film and mixing every genre into one.
And by every genre, I mean every genre. The eerie and surreal moments pull you out of the fantasy of Victory before you get pulled back in by the chemistry of Pugh and Styles. This movie is not a romance, nor is it a comedy, but there are many moments where you can’t help but feel swooned by the couples or amused by certain dialogue. There are plenty of mysterious, thrilling, and dramatic moments to remind you of the “actual” genre of this film, but Wilde effectively utilizes the chemistry of and dialogue between characters to pull you into the intrigue of the Victory Project.
The only aspect of this movie I wish was different wasn’t even a part of the movie—it was the fact I felt as though I had already watched the movie just from the trailers. Not that the trailers spoiled anything, necessarily (I was still shocked by the twist), but they did give peaks into nearly every scene of the movie.
Regardless of what I was going into this movie with, I left with shock and satisfaction. (And apparently, so did everyone else in the theater. There was scattered applause throughout the length of the film, and we were all cheering for the last 20 minutes.) I was surprised by not just the movie, but how much I genuinely enjoyed it. I can’t wait to watch it again when it’s streaming on HBO Max on November 7!
So, instead of being scared about not liking this movie… don’t worry, darling.