Disappointing ending.6IonicBreezeMachineIn a utopian 1950s suburban community in the desert created for the employees of Project Victory as well as their family members, Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh) is a devoted housewife to her husband Jack (Harry Styles) who goes to work everyday at the clandestine Project Victory. When Alice follows a plane crash into the middle of the desert, she finds herself with questions that may reveal her dreamlike lifestyle is in actuality a nightmare.Don't Worry Darling is the sophomore directorial effort of Olivia Wilde who'd previously scored a critical hit with her debut film Booksmart. The film is based on a script by brothers Carey and Shane Van Dyke that appeared on the 2019 Black List of best unproduced screenplays, and the project was chosen by Wilde as her next directing effort with Katie Silberman of Booksmart providing re-writes on the film which became the subject of a bidding war between several studios with New Line Cinema eventually winning. Produced in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film was beset by some tensions on-set with Shia LaBeouf originally intended to be the lead alongside Pugh but was either fired or quit depending on who you listen to. Pugh also allegedly clashed with Olivia Wilde with the two allegedly getting into a shouting match. Upon release the film did okay at the box office for an adult skewing title in a market that had largely steered towards large scale event pics, but critical reception was considerably colder with praise given for performances, cinematography, and production design but criticism at the direction and screenplay. Don't Worry Darling Seemingly has all the right pieces in place for a strong psychological thriller, but in practice while it looks nice and is reasonably well acted it's also overly long with not much substance beneath its glossy surface.To start off on a positive note, the movie from a visual standpoint is visually beautiful with the Victory Town well established with its vintage automobiles and immaculately designed homes with well-manicured lawns standing out amongst the desolate desert that surrounds this town in every direction. Additional visuals that come from the character's uncertainty are also well realized. Florence Pugh is well cast as our lead Alice despite the character not all that rich in depth so we never form much of a link with her, and KiKi Layne, Sydney Chandler, and Wilde herself do well as Alice's various social circle. But stealing every scene he's in is Chris Pine as Frank, the enigmatic and charismatic founder of the Victory Project, and thanks to Pine's charisma he creates a truly memorable antagonist with a solid "boo/hiss" quality that makes him easy to hate. The weak link in the acting however is in Harry Styles who despite looking like a leading man doesn't strike the nuances in this character all that well and because the script doesn't really have much depth to the character already.The biggest issues with this movie are undeniably in Wilde's overlong direction and a screenplay that meanders on making the same point over and over again. Taking inspiration from the likes of The Prisoner, The Stepford Wives, Get Out, and various other sources, and we eventually get an all too clear picture of that as we head into the third act collapse where the proverbial "man behind the curtain" is revealed and if you remember the late 90s and early 2000s you'll definitely know where it goes. But the familiarity isn't the only thing that's wrong with the film as Wilde seems to have no sense of pacing or keeping audience investment up as the film often meanders with scenes that go on way too long and points repeated in scene after scene. One notable instance of Wilde's overlong direction is during Frank's introduction at a backyard barbecue and while the speech he gives is supposed to set him up as a charismatic and hyper-masculine figure, it keeps going well after it's done it's job establishing that and could've been cut significantly. The movie also features several scenes that are variations on the same point with several interchangeable dinner/dinner party scenes that are well staged but only serve the purpose of conveying what we already know. Then there's all the little things that don't make sense like the logistics of how the "reveal" actually works especially if the characters have friends, family and co-workers.Don't Worry Darling has some good ideas and ambition behind it, but it never forms the individual parts that work into a satisfying cohesive whole. It's admittedly better than some films of this ilk I've seen like Paradise Hills, but I've also seen this done better too.5atkin-91266The concept of the movie was good, but needed to be taken a bit further in my opinion with detail. A lot happens in the movie that basically requires the audience to accept without question.Over explained movies are obviously no fun, but this one just left me annoyed because in two hours, I feel like they could have done a lot more.Florence Pugh gives an amazing performance. If anyone has seen Midsommar, they would be aware that she knows how to give an emotional performance with or without supporting leads. She is the body and soul of this movie and it would be a complete disappointment without her.Pugh made the movie interesting, but the writing and directing did not excel in the movie. The cinematography was wonderful and there was some great acting from some people and that's about it.5benjaminskylerhillOlivia Wilde's second directorial effort is nowhere near as bad as I expected it to be given the firestorm of behind-the-scenes drama and production troubles. But it's also just not nearly as interesting or as well-put-together as it ought to be given it's fierce, original, thrilling premise.It's a sleek-looking production, and Wilde does some very smooth work behind the camera. Most of the performances are extremely good (especially Florence Pugh's), but some of the supporting cast does put a little too much ham into their work.Despite some clunky dialogue that consists largely of repetitive empty platitudes, the story is able to build a lot of intrigue with its intelligent placement of bizarre happenings. It causes its audience to ask questions and tests their patience by withholding and bestowing information in just the right doses.This intrigue lasts for the first two acts, although the film's character development unfortunately falls to the wayside because the mystery was given all the attention.It's a shame, because the third act and final twists of the story make all the nuance and complexity of the mysterious characters and world-building slip away.At the film's conclusion, I was left dissatisfied. Dissatisfied with the fact that the villains' motivations were oversimplified to the point that their actions no longer make much sense.It's like they deliberately planned to go about achieving their goals in the most convoluted, difficult way possible and in a way that would make them the most vulnerable that they could possibly be. It's a laughable ending with hilariously half-baked twists.Don't Worry Darling is one of those movies that's bursting with imaginative, intriguing ideas, but never quite finds a way to put them together in a satisfying, coherent way. It's messy and not particularly satisfying as a result.More like this7.1Midsommar6.6My Policeman6.6The Wonder7.8Little Women6.1Don't Worry Darling7.0Fighting with My Family7.0We Live in Time7.2The Menu7.1A Good Person7.0Saltburn6.8Barbie7.0The Devil Wears PradaEditDid you knowEditTriviaFrank, the Victory Project's leader, is shown living in Kaufmann House, one of the most well-known mid-century homes in the world. Although the Kaufmann House's exterior has been shown at various times over the years in both film and TV, Don't Worry Darling is the first film to feature scenes shot on the property itself, including several peeks at its rarely seen interiors.GoofsAt 10:32 Alice is preparing dinner and is marinating and cooking a steak. When Jack comes home she says she has made a roast and you see a roast on the table.QuotesBunny: The one thing they ask of us is to stay here. Where it's safe.ConnectionsFeatured in How Fight Scene Props Are Made for Movies & TV (2022)SoundtracksWith You All the TimeWritten by Harry StylesPerformed by Florence Pugh and Harry Styles (as Alice and Jack)Produced by Harry StylesAdditional Production by Sammy WitteCourtesy of Erskine Records Limited / Columbia RecordsSign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendationsSign inHow long is Don't Worry Darling?Powered by AlexaDetailsEditRelease dateSeptember 23, 2022 (United States)Country of originUnited StatesOfficial siteOfficial WarnerbrosLanguageEnglishAlso known asNo te preocupes cariñoFilming locationsPalm Springs, California, USA(Chris Pine's "Frank" character's house. [In real life: The Kaufmann Desert House by Richard Neutra])Production companiesCanadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit (CPTC)New Line CinemaNew Line ProductionsSee more company credits at IMDbProBox officeEditBudget$20,000,000 (estimated)Gross US & Canada$45,309,403Opening weekend US & Canada$19,353,213Sep 25, 2022Gross worldwide$87,609,403See detailed box office info on IMDbProEditRuntime2 hours 3 minutesColorColorSound mixDolby DigitalDolby AtmosIMAX 6-TrackAspect ratio2.39 : 1Suggest an edit or add missing contentIMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our dataLearn more about contributingEdit page, Don't Worry Darling is a 2022 American psychological thriller film directed by Olivia Wilde from a screenplay by Katie Silberman, based on a spec script by Silberman, Carey Van Dyke, and Shane Van Dyke., Don't Worry Darling: Directed by Olivia Wilde. With Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Olivia Wilde. While her husband leaves home everyday to work in a top secret facility, a young 1950s housewife begins to question her life when she notices strange behavior from the other wives in the neighborhood..