Is Margaret Qualley-fied to head a lesbian noir? I daresay yes. But, wow, has she grown up in a hurry, huh? The last time Ethan Coen indulged with a lesbian noir, Qualley played something close to a teenager. Now? She’s a boss. And only one year has passed.
A car has overturned off the highway plunging down to a ravine. This was no accident, and the responsible party investigates the dead driver, removing a church insignia ring from her finger before letting the body hang out by itself
The victim was a client of PI Honey O’Donahue (Qualley). “Self-assured” doesn’t begin to describe Honey, a woman who doesn’t seem to identify or care about the barriers to being a slight and lesbian private investigator in the police world. In fact, she has no problem with indulging the fingers of a new sexual partner in a public bar.
(And if you think I came anywhere close to revealing how titillating this scene is, you clearly haven’t seen the film.)
And while Honey and MG Falcone (Aubrey Plaza) are playing footsie, except not with feet, the local power minister, Reverend Drew Devlin (Chris Evans) is into all kinds of shit. The movie finds him in bed with a different partner in at least three different scenes in at least three different positions. And indulgent sex is the very least of the Reverend’s sins. Is he drug trafficking? Did he have something to do with the death that opens the film? How can he be such a smug shit about all of this? I mean, sure, he’s no man of God. That’s a given. But, wow, he doesn’t have an ounce of humility about any of his hypocritical actions.
The Reverend is almost a red herring in this film. As the plot turns from murder investigation to the real 
mystery: investigating the disappearance of Honey’s niece, it is clear that the film is much more about style than, dare I say? Substance. (You’ll have to see Qualley’s last film for that.) Honey Don’t required Margaret Qualley to carry us through, and I daresay she can. She has the same self-assuredness and leading lady ability as a younger Amy Adams.
It’s always nice to welcome a noob to the A-list category, huh? If Qualley ain’t there already, she will be before long.
As for the picture, well, Honey Don’t never bored me, and there was always a mystery to follow, but I didn’t like the loose ends it left, and it’s pretty clear the film was made because writer/director Ethan Coen isn’t done talking about lesbians. Sure, there are worse subjects. But I can’t help thinking a film, any film, needs to be a film first, and a specialized anthem second. Shrug. I could be wrong. I certainly haven’t seen a lesbian romp this steamy in many many moons.
There once was a PI named Honey
With an outlook surprisingly sunny
She looked into a crime
Forgetting the whole time
“You’re a PI; follow the money!”
Rated R, 89 Minutes
Director: Ethan Coen
Writer: Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke
Genre: Don’t make me say it
Type of being most likely to enjoy this film: LGBTQ+
Type of being least likely to enjoy this film: Bigots
