The latest collaboration between Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke delivers the most entertaining murder mystery of the summer. Honey Don’t! avoids a female fatale trope and dials in on a stylized take of classic noir meets lesbian pulp. Bakersfield makes for the perfect setting for this comedic noir story with the star power of Margaret Qualley and comedic genius of Charlie Day. 

Honey Don’t! reunites Ethan Coen with Tricia Cooke as the pair dive back into a mysterious world starring Margaret Qualley but this time set in Bakersfield, California. While many noir tales are set in California, set in the small city of Bakersfield plays into the hard-boiled storytelling and wanting to escape the trappings of a small town. Qualley effortlessly becomes Honey O’Donahue, the private detective who is clearly meant for a major city but stays in Bakersfield for her family. Honey Don’t! follows as O’Donahue investigates a client’s mysterious death. The homicide detective, Marty Metakawitch (Charlie Day), rules the death as an auto accident and moves on, but O’Donahue suspects something suspicious. The story unfolds with typical genre trappings of a noir detective tale but is filled with comedic bits from Day alongside Billy Eichner, and the eventual arrival of Aubrey Plaza as MG. 

Coen and Cooke’s script feels a bit tighter and quickly paced compared to their previous effort, Drive-Away Dolls. With Honey Don’t!, the duo feels not only in the same rhythm but much more in line with what works from a genre and how to seamlessly blend it together with another genre. With O’Donahue, we don’t get much backstory on her, but her character is immediately easy to understand. She’s structured like a leading man from a classic noir, including the almost transactional way she views her conquests, however, seeing a woman, and a lesbian at that, in this role brings new life into a typical noir character.  Qualley embodies an elegance paired with a witty comedic timing only an icon in the making can. O’Donahue meets her match with MG, a police officer that at first feels like a counter to O’Donahue’s typical attitude with women. MG challenges her expectations and O’Donahue doesn’t entirely have control over the situation, in both a good and bad way. Chris Evans is perfectly used as a corrupt pastor who preaches by day and by night is involved in some scandalous activities and use of his power. Evans flawlessly portrays a man you can feel is icky, but you understand how people fall into his grasp. 

Honey Don’t! may not have been filmed on location in Bakersfield but the production design (Stefan Dechant) perfectly captures this iconic, small California city. From MG’s house to the church, Bakersfield feels alive and both like a trapping of a small town you can’t escape but also a home you love. Ari Wegner delivers another staple in her filmography as one of the best cinematographers working today. She beautifully captures not only every emotional beat through interesting shots and angles but she’s right in the middle of all the action throughout the film. Honey Don’t! is filled with various fight sequences and Wegner keeps the audience right in the middle of it. 

The latest collaboration between Coen and Tricia Cooke delivers an entertaining murder mystery perfect for the summer. Honey Don’t! avoids a female fatale trope and dials in on a stylized take of classic noir meets lesbian pulp. While the film falls into cliches of previous noir detective tales, having a queer woman as the protagonist brings new life into the genre. 

Grade: B

Oscars Prospects:
Likely: None
Should be Considered: Best Costume Design

Release Date: August 22, 2025
Where to Watch: In Theaters