Is Don’t Worry Darling really as bad as everyone says?

The most anticipated film of the year is finally here and, for those who were hoping for more dramatic Hollywood schadenfreude, Don’t Worry Darling has not disappointed. Unfortunately, we can’t promise the same for everyone else.

After the most chaotic press tour in recent memory – with countless stories about alleged behind-the-scenes tensions between director Olivia Wilde and lead actor Florence Pugh – this psychological thriller is getting destroyed by critics. But is it really all that bad? Or is it just fun to be part of the pile on? Culture reporter Meg Watson and culture news editor Osman Faruqi have entered the Group Chat.

Meg Watson and Osman Faruqi not pictured.Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Note: Most of this conversation is spoiler-free, but there is a spoiler-filled section at the end (we’ll warn you).

Not to immediately out myself, but I didn’t think the movie was that bad. Yes, it took way too long getting to the twist and that diminished its impact. And yeah, there are definitely some questions that remain totally unanswered … But overall, I had an OK time.

I liked hanging out in Wilde’s eerie hyper-stylised ’50s suburbia. Florence Pugh was great. The twist was interesting and also culturally relevant. There was a big car chase. We all got something to talk about. That’s cinema!

But I know you feel differently, Os. And you’re in the majority, so don’t hold back: please tell me why this movie sucks.

Meg, I have enormous respect for you – both as a person and as a cultural critic – but you have never been more wrong.

Wow. OK, damn, let’s go.

I walked into this film as a lover of cinema and I walked out feeling so sad about the future of art.

OK, maybe that’s a bit too dramatic, but this movie is terrible.

I appreciate that it’s an original story, which is a big deal in an era dominated by IP and franchises, I like that it takes some big swings and tries to grapple with contemporary political issues, and I love Florence Pugh. But this movie is a mess. The first 15 minutes are pretty fun – the Palm Springs setting is great, and the production design is masterful.

Bad movie. Great furniture.Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

But straight away you know something is up. The movie takes too long to explain what is happening, when it does explain it, it makes no sense, every scene is too long, all the actors are performing like they are in different movies, the ending is absurd, so much is left unexplained, Harry Styles’ performance is dreadful, and that’s probably just half the criticisms I have.

Do you think you’d feel the same way if you hadn’t known anything about this movie going in, though? I just feel like everyone’s been having so much fun hating on the film during the press tour (myself included) that that same energy has just flowed on.

Like, yes, the movie could have been A LOT better. Both the script and the film itself needed a major edit (and some of KiKi Layne’s scenes put back in). But people are acting like it’s going to sweep the Razzies. This isn’t on the same level as like… The Emoji Movie and Adam Sandler’s Jack and Jill, right?

I think that’s a fair point, and I do think that the lead-up to the film may have raised expectations. Not so much the drama around the production, or even Spitgate, but more the way Wilde talked about it.

If you believed her own hype you’d think this movie was a searing interrogation of modern gender dynamics, the internet and the role of shadowy cultural figures like Jordan Peterson. The Emoji Movie and Jack and Jill aren’t pretending to be compelling social satires. This movie has been jokingly referred to as “Get Out for white women”, but even as a joke it’s an embarrassing comparison.

Most of the film is something we’ve seen plenty of times on screen, from Pleasantville to The Stepford Wives, and it just didn’t give us anything that new.

True. All Wilde’s comments about how this is a film that celebrates ~female pleasure~ have also aged so badly when you consider the context that pleasure takes place in (spoilers)…

I think if the movie took itself less seriously, and tried less to grapple with some of the Big Issues of Our Time it might have been a more contained, sharper story, with time for actual character development and story resolution that makes sense.

But it’s possible I’m just a cynical critic who expected one thing and got another, and maybe most moviegoers won’t care?

It’s worth pointing out that it’s not getting totally dragged by audiences. The film has a 39 per cent critic rating on Rotten Tomatoes, but a score of 75 per cent from audiences. And I feel like that’s happening a lot recently! Remember how much critics initially hated Elvis?

Do you think critics and people in the media have different expectations of films?

Yeah definitely, and I think that’s because we’re so plugged into things like the press tour, what the artists are saying, and then holding up the finished work to those expectations. Most normal people have probably seen some funny memes on TikTok, are excited to see it and will probably have a fun time seeing Harry Styles looking handsome in a suit. And you know what? That’s fine!

If people like this film (like you!) that doesn’t mean they are terrible people with terrible taste. There are a bunch of specific reasons I really didn’t like this, but I don’t begrudge anyone for having a good time at the movies.

Maybe it proves critics are less relevant than ever? Is that good or bad?

I’m sure a lot of people would say it’s good, but I’m professionally obligated to say it’s bad. Anyway. Let’s talk about Harry Styles.

Do we have to? He’s just really bad in this. His performance is one note, his accent is so confusing that at one point a character has to tell the audience that he’s actually British.

What did you think? Were there any other standout performances for you aside from Florence Pugh?

I thought Chris Pine was really interesting! But, in the end, his character was totally underwritten so it was kind of underwhelming. I mean, 90 per cent of the movie is close-ups of Florence Pugh staring into mirrors or looking bemused while slowly crushing eggs. It’s hard for anyone else to shine.

I think Harry was way out of his depth. To me, his performance wasn’t laughably bad (and honestly, the accent was whatever) but he was clearly given a script that had all the best bits sucked out of it so he could cope, and it all came off as a bit wooden.

Except, of course, the part where he throws himself around a stage looking like a newborn horse trying to stand. That made no sense. It looked bad. And I won’t defend it.

Warning: Spoilers below.

OK let’s get into the spoilers. The twist. In principle, I don’t hate it – but I do hate the way it was done.

It took way too long to reveal what was happening, and then it totally rushed the important bits, left lots of things out and confused everyone (What did the plane mean? Why did the house shake? Why did Gemma Chan stab Chris Pine?!!!).

It’s a shame because there could be a really interesting version of this film that actually does make a meaningful point about incel culture and Jordan Peterson/Andrew Tate types! And 2022 is a great time to tell stories about dystopian metaverses too! But we needed to see heaps more of Incel Harry and real-world Chris Pine to provide proper cultural context to all that. I’m sure a lot of viewers wouldn’t have even linked the characters to Peterson, Tate etc. And that’s a real failure of the filmmaking.

What did you make of it? Did you hate the twist itself, the way it was done, or both?

The idea of the twist was good! A world in which these Tate-types have created their own metaverse that they use to trap women and live out a weird MRA fantasy? That’s pretty compelling. But the reveal happens way too late, and when we go into the “real world” we find out so little about Styles and Pugh’s characters it barely makes sense. None of the tension or attempted satire of the “fake world” really makes sense. So many mysteries are unresolved. And, like you said, why did Gemma Chan stab Chris Pine? What?

Chris Pine delivering one of his four lines in the film.Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures

Is there anything that redeems the film for you?

I think Olivia Wilde is actually a pretty interesting director. The casting choices in this are fun – Nick Kroll alongside Chris Pine and Florence Pugh is bold. Some of the scenes are pretty memorable and thrilling. I just think it’s clear that she’s a bit out of depth when it comes to trying to talk about society and politics. What about you?

At the very least, in the words of Harry Styles, it feels like a movie. It feels like a real go to the theatre, film, movie. And that’s the reason why you go.

Find out the next TV, streaming series and movies to add to your must-sees. Get The Watchlist delivered every Thursday.