The first reviews for Don't Worry Darling are in

Olivia Wilde's second film is visually stylish but lacking in originality.

Olivia Wilde's second film is visually stylish but lacking in originality.

The first reviews for Don't Worry Darling are in. Despite the five-minute standing ovation from the crowd at Venice Film Festival, the film has been met with a resounding "meh." 

It has been praised for Katie Byron's "candy-coated" production design, receiving comparisons to The Truman Show or Stepford Wives. Though its visual style is not enough to save it from its glaring unoriginality, and its half-baked gender politics.

The film "feels more like it wants to pat itself on the back for its skin-deep message about female subjugation and empowerment," writes Steph Green for the BBC. 

Vulture writes that the film is "mostly well-acted". That wobbly accent from Harry Styles that went viral on Twitter was intentional, Peter Bradshaw notes in The Guardian, that Styles "may or may not be" a talented actor "it's not easy to tell from this." Variety was warmer, comparing Styles to a young Frank Sinatra "with his popping eyes, floppy shock of hair, saturnine suaveness."

Florence Pugh's performance as a housewife come undone was reliably immaculate, despite Peter Bradshaw noting she "has not been interestingly directed" when compared to her work in Midsommar or The Falling. 

It's neither bad nor good, with Vulture describing it as "competent, and merely tedious," and Vanity Fair echoing that sentiment "It isn't a catastrophe, or an unqualified success." 

Rarely is a press conference one of the most anticipated events at the Venice Film Festival - but this one threatened to get Wilde.

The cast of Don't Worry Darling, minus a notably absent Florence Pugh, dodged difficult questions and defied the opportunity to 'clear the air' on behind-the-scenes drama. 

When asked by the press about Pugh's absence, director Olivia Wilde described the English actor as a "force".

"We are so grateful she is able to make it tonight [to the film's premiere] despite being in production [for Dune]."

“As for all the endless tabloid gossip and noise out there, the internet feeds itself. I don’t feel I need to contribute to it. It’s sufficiently well-nourished.”

The panel moderator quickly shut down a question about Shia LaBeouf, who was originally cast in the role played by Harry Styles.

Harry Styles and Florence Pugh in Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling

The on-set politics of the film have swallowed the media attention surrounding the film after Wilde alleged LaBeouf was fired for his 'combative energy', his replacement Harry Styles formed an intimate relationship with the director, and rumours swirled around a feud between Pugh and Wilde.

Harry Styles, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan and director Olivia Wilde all fielded questions. 

Florence Pugh will grace the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival but skipped the press conference for the film in which she has a leading role.

Rarely is a press conference one of the most anticipated event at the Venice Film Festival. 

Save for one magazine feature, Pugh, 26, has remained tight-lipped about the film. Deadline reports Pugh’s absence in the (18-month) Don’t Worry Darling press cycle so far is due to scheduling conflicts with her filming for the second instalment of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune franchise (where she’ll reunite with Timothée Chalamet after filming Little Women together).  Given Chalamet is filming on the same production and still adhered to all press commitments for his film Bones and All earlier in the week in Venice, Pugh's absence is considered a conspicuous move by critics.

Timothée Chalamet and Florence Pugh in Little Women

Once at the festival, Pugh will walk the carpet, do the photo call and watch the film with her co-stars. She's then scheduled to get back on the plane and head back to the Dune set to commence filming on Tuesday. 

For those uninitiated with the controversy, here’s the skinny:

Shia LeBeouf’s exit

In September 2020, it was announced that Harry Styles would replace LeBeouf in the lead role. Last month, in an interview with Variety, Olivia said that she fired Shia from the project over his acting process which, “seems to require a combative energy” and that it was her responsibility to make Florence “feel safe.” Months after Shia’s exit, his ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs, sued him for sexual battery. 

Shia LaBeouf and FKA Twigs, September 2018. Photo: Getty.

In a response piece, also published in Variety, LaBeouf denied that he was fired from the role, sharing emails, texts, and a video from Olivia asking for him to give the project another chance. In one email from LaBeouf to Wilde, shared with Variety, the actor wrote: “Firing me never took place, Olivia. And while I fully understand the attractiveness of pushing that story because of the current social landscape, the social currency that brings. It is not the truth.”

In the video that Wilde sent to LaBeouf the director alluded to tense on-set dynamics between LaBeouf and Pugh.

“I think this might be a bit of a wake-up call for Miss Flo, and I want to know if you’re open to giving this a shot with me, with us,” Olivia said. “If she really commits, if she really puts her mind and heart into it at this point and if you guys can make peace — and I respect your point of view, I respect hers — but if you guys can do it, what do you think?”

SOMEONE HOLD ME BACK

(the video olivia sent shia where she basically begged him to stay on the movie after ADMITTING that she knows shia makes florence uncomfortable) pic.twitter.com/ihlHOQlF6B

— percy 🌊 || who the fuck is gonna stop us? (@percystardust) August 26, 2022

The sex scenes

Pugh is allegedly unhappy with the marketing around the film, specifically the intense focus on the intimate scenes between her and Styles that appear in the trailer. In her cover story with Harper's Bazaar, Pugh said: “When it’s reduced to your sex scenes, or to watch the most famous man in the world go down on someone, it’s not why we do it. It’s not why I’m in this industry."

Despite this, Wilde has continued to up the ante on sex during the press cycle, telling Associated Press that she was "upset" that "a lot" of sex scenes were cut from the film's trailer. 

More to come.