Don't Worry Darling is a 2022 psychological thriller film directed by Olivia Wilde. The screenplay was written by Katie Silberman, based on a story by Carey van Dyke, Shane Van Dyke, and Silberman. The film is produced by New Line Cinema and Vertigo Entertainment.

In the 1950s, Alice and Jack live in the idealized community of Victory, an experimental company town that houses the men who work on a top-secret project. While the husbands toil away, the wives get to enjoy the beauty, luxury and debauchery of their seemingly perfect paradise. However, when cracks in her idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something sinister lurking below the surface, Alice can't help but question exactly what she's doing in Victory.

The cast includes Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne, Nick Kroll, and Chris Pine.

Don't Worry Darling released in theaters on September 23rd, courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures.

THE GOOD

Andrew and I have both been chomping at the bit for Don’t Worry Darling to hit theaters, and unless you live under a rock you are surely familiar with the pre-release drama surrounding the film that was stirred up during the promotional press tour, and the inevitable gossip that plagues our society today. But considering the box office success for the film so far, I would say that the idea of any press is good press rings true. I won’t bore you with the details of the aforementioned drama, but I will admit that I was annoyed by it mainly because it took away from the films highly anticipated release. Nonetheless, I ignored the noise and made it a point to see Don’t Worry Darling in theaters as soon as I could, So, was it worth my time? Keep reading to find out!

Let me just say that proving the naysayers wrong felt like a breath of fresh air, and boy was it satisfying. Seriously, Don’t Worry Darling is a damn good movie, and what I would consider to be one of the more unique and original psychological thrillers in recent memory. What intrigued me about the film in the first place was the overall concept, and the fact that it was obvious something wasn’t right, but you just couldn’t quite put your finger on it. Just like the trailers, the film does a fantastic job of keeping you guessing, and it wasn’t until the very end that I was greeted with what I would consider to be the big reveal which absolutely caught me off guard.

Now I can easily compare Don’t Worry Darling to other films that fall within the sci-fi thriller genre, but that would likely give things away and as you should know, I am not one to spoil a movie for someone. Katie Silberman’s screenplay in collaboration with Carey and Shane Van Dyke’s story deserves its time in the sun, because this movie thrives on feel and that element of mystery and intrigue. I couldn’t get enough of it. I also really enjoy the 50’s era as far as the clothes and the colors, and especially the cars. I also really liked all of the subtle elements of the film, like what the heck was Pugh’s character watching all the time on the TV while she was vacuuming?! And the visions that her character experienced were just awesome, and terrifying at the same time. What a unique balance.

Aside from what I considered to be a uniquely captivating story, Don’t Worry Darling has a stellar cast and it all starts with Florence Pugh. The English actress has absolutely exploded on the scene ever since a strong year in 2019 where she starred in the horror thriller Midsommar (our review here) as well as the period drama, Little Women. She snagged a starring role as a real badass in Marvel’s Black Widow in 2021, and here she is lighting up the screen in 2022 as she delivers arguably one of the best performances of the year. No joke, Pugh is simply THAT GOOD in this movie. Each and every scene she is in is electric, and I found myself in constant awe of her performance.

Oh and did I mention how insanely sexy she is in this? Sorry if I made it weird. Pugh stars alongside pop star turned actor Harry Styles, who in my opinion delivers a solid performance. Now I have read the criticism of his acting in the film, but if anything he was at a disadvantage trying to match the absolute clinic put on by Pugh. Bottom line, Styles is making a name for himself in movies and for my money is doing a damn good job, but to try and be overly critical of his acting in Don’t Worry Darling feels like a lazy and jealous attempt to get him to focus on music. He is here to stay folks, deal with it. Oh, and get ready for his next big role in My Policeman (preview and trailer here) set for a limited theatrical release on October 21st before a streaming release on Prime Video.

Yet another unreal performance is delivered by talented actor Chris Pine, who damn near gave me chills as the films primary antagonist. The amount of mystery surrounding Pine’s character is a big driver for the films backstory, and I thought he was just fantastic in this role. The supporting cast was pretty solid all around in my opinion, but I especially enjoyed Nick Kroll playing his usual a-hole role he is so damn good at. Director Olivia Wilde also plays an important supporting role in the film, and I thought she was great as usual. I also enjoyed the role played by Timothy Simons, and felt like he made quite an impact in his limited screen-time. Gemma Chan is phenomenal as Pine’s authoritative and intense wife.

Don’t Worry Darling really shines on the technical side of things. First and foremost, composer John Powell’s score is simply epic. So much of the score helped immerse me in the excitement and intrigue of the films story, and for me this made for an exciting and rewarding experience. The film puts a premium on what I would consider to be the big three of film as far as giving viewers everything they want and need, which is music, cinematography, and quality editing. Matthew Libatique handled the cinematography duties and crushes it, and Affonso Gonçalves hits a home run on the editing side of things. One scene in particular towards the end of the film had this crazy Mad Max vibe to it, and the overall feel just made me want to stand up and clap with excitement. The final act of the film was fantastic, and much of that is attributed to the overall technical prowess. As a follow-up to her 2019 hit film Booksmart, Olivia Wilde has proven that she is a talented director and someone worth keeping an eye on.

THE BAD

Don’t Worry Darling is a very effective and extremely entertaining psychological thriller. Is it perfect? No, but in my mind the good far outweighs the bad. Some of the acting isn’t great at times, but as I touched on earlier I believe much of that is the disparity between Florence Pugh and the rest of the cast, minus Chris Pine and Gemma Chan, as far as overall acting ability. I know I said Harry Styles delivered a solid performance, which he did, but he did flutter at times but luckily it was not detrimental to the film mainly because Pugh carried the more dramatic scenes. I can’t really think of many issues with the screenplay or story as it kept me guessing and never dragged. Long story short, I was too busy enjoying Don’t Worry Darling and must have forgotten to pick it apart. As the cool kids say, ignore the haters. Plus, at the end of the day the overall impact of the film and whether or not it “works” depends on two performances, which is the tense game of tug-a-war between Florence Pugh and Chris Pine’s characters, and as a great sports analogy, they leave everything out on the field.

THE VERDICT

Anchored by a tremendous score, a captivating screenplay, and a career-defining performance from actress Florence Pugh, Don’t Worry Darling is a psychological thriller that will stick with audiences long after the credits roll. I can’t get this movie out of my head, and I am so glad I ignored the pre-release drama and the out of touch critics because this movie hit hard. I talked about how excited I was to see it earlier in the review, but I am still amazed that it was able to meet my expectations. It may not be perfect and the supporting cast sometimes struggles to match Pugh and her pure acting talent, but in no way does it take away from the overall impact of the film.

I just love when a movie is able to become an experience that you can take home with you, and that is what happened for me here. Plus, at just over 2-hours this movie flies by. Do yourself a favor by ignoring the behind-the-scenes gossip and give Don’t Worry Darling a chance in theaters, you won’t regret it.