Ethan Coen<\/strong> returns to the director\u2019s chair with Honey, Don\u2019t!, cowritten with longtime collaborator and wife Tricia Cooke<\/strong>. The film stars Margaret Qualley<\/strong> as Honey O\u2019Donoghue, a private detective navigating a quirky and dangerous world filled with cops, cults, and chaos in Bakersfield, Calif.<\/p>\n At the center of the buzz is Qualley\u2019s performance, which critics agree is the film\u2019s strongest asset. \u201cYou can\u2019t overstate how much her performance glides the movie over an abundance of rough patches and past dead-end detours,\u201d David Fear <\/strong>of Rolling Stone<\/a> writes. \u201cThe way that Qualley brings her star presence and her chops to Honey O\u2019Donoghue feels unique.\u201d<\/p>\n More from Gold Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n Variety<\/a>\u2019s Owen Gleiberman<\/strong> frames the film as a breezy genre romp: \u201cLike last year\u2019s Drive-Away Dolls, to which it\u2019s a companion piece, Honey Don\u2019t! is a deliberate throwaway \u2014 a knowingly light and funny mock escapist thriller, one that\u2019s just trying to show you a flaky good time.\u201d<\/p>\n Lindsey Baher<\/strong> of the Associated Press<\/a> summarizing the experience as \u201cgory, unapologetically sexual, quippy and dark.\u201d She adds, \u201cWhile this shaggy caper might not add up to anything significant \u2014 perhaps part of the \u2018B-movie\u2019 point \u2014 it is fun and immensely watchable.\u201d<\/p>\n The film, which has a “rotten” rating of 48 percent<\/a> on Rotten Tomatoes, has a strong supporting cast that includes Chris Evans<\/strong> as a church leader, Charlie Day<\/strong> as an inept police officer, and Aubrey Plaza<\/strong> as a sardonic cop. Still, the focus of the story is Qualley, whose sultry Honey carries the film.<\/p>\n Radheyan Simonpillai<\/strong> of The Guardian <\/a>sums it: \u201cBoth Drive-Away Dolls and Honey, Don\u2019t! can feel like they\u2019re cruising, leisurely if not mischievously, mostly taking in the scenery populated with deliciously kooky characters, who run into or away from each other while bodies pile up in spurts of hilariously nasty violence, without necessarily adding up to much.\u201d But, like other critics, Simonpillai highlights Qualley\u2019s magnetic performance: \u201cIt\u2019s hard to stay mad at a movie for refusing to add things up, or resolve its mysteries in any traditionally satisfying ways, when getting lost with Qualley can be such a pleasure.\u201d<\/p>\n Best of Gold Derby<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for Gold Derby’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n