Film Review: Don’t Worry Darling – questionably perfect?

Harry Styles and Florence Pugh in Don’t Worry Darling (2022) Credit: IMDB

Don’t Worry Darling is one of the most hyped blockbusters of the year – the moment the cast was announced, it was undoubtedly going to be a hit – fan favourite, Florence Pugh, everyone’s favourite Chris, Chris Pine and one of the most famous men in the past decade, Harry Styles.

It seemed Don’t Worry Darling had everything in its favour to succeed, however, things took a turn for the worse a couple of months ago when promotion began, issues between the cast arose and parts of the film were leaked, leading to audiences questioning Styles acting chops.

It became quite the topic whether the film would be as good as audiences had hoped and with it finally here, it’s still a little unclear.

The movie follows Alice Chambers (Florence Pugh), as she starts to notice the seemingly perfect life she has, is not quite what she thought, much to the aggravation of the man who built this life for her, Frank (Chris Pine) and Alice’s husband, Jack Chambers (Harry Styles.)

The film is eerie and unsettling, an almost complete mix of The Truman Show and Get Out, wrapped together by director, Olivia Wilde, who also appears in the film as Alice’s best friend, Bunny.

Wilde’s vision is obvious throughout, it is an unnerving film, however, for female audiences, this film is terrifying for a whole other reason. The manipulation Alice goes through is unbelievably realistic for women who have dealt with powerful men, and Wilde tries her best to incorporate her experience with men for other women to resonate with, and it works, it’s easy to root for Alice as she tries to escape.

As for the worry surrounding Styles’ acting, it’s hard to defend it here. Jack Chambers, turns out to be a truly complex character, however, it’s completely shadowed by Styles’ laughable attempt at the character. Placing Styles next to Florence Pugh is almost cruel, she has and continues to be a powerhouse at acting, her performance here is near perfection. She never slips or falters despite Styles’ overdramatic soap acting alongside her.

Chris Pine also really shines here – like a real cult leader, Frank is convincing, he is incredibly charming, it’s easy to see why the town people are so enamoured with him, they worship him, which is scary, considering how maniacal he turns out to be. This is truly a testament to how charming men can get away with anything, no matter how disgusting, if they word it the right way.

The film is also covered in beautiful cinematography, all of the shots are perfect, too perfect; the colours are vibrant, it’s clear, the shots are symmetrical and as a whole, the movie is very aesthetically pleasing to look at - this only adds to that creepy feeling the audience share with Alice, something is defiantly off.

Don’t Worry Darling is a let-down in many ways, but then again, it has been anticipated for months now with audiences desperate to see it, it’s difficult to meet high expectations. The film is also surprisingly good at times, Pugh’s acting is fascinating to watch and the twists are well done, if Styles could have taken a few acting pointers from Pugh and Pine, there’s no doubt this film could have been one of the best this year. -★★★☆☆