‘Honey Don’t!’; The title warned you

Margaret Qualley (Honey O’Donahue) and Aubrey Plaza (MG Falcone) star in a new murder mystery movie, where the title itself answers the question of whether or not to see it.

O’Donahue is a private investigator in a small town in California, investigating the recent murder of a woman in town. The woman seems to have questionable connections to the community church, Four-Way Temple, led by Pastor Drew Devlin (Chris Evans). While investigating, O’Donahue forms a relationship with Falcone, who works for the police department.

I had high hopes before watching “Honey Don’t.” I was excited to see Qualley and Plaza star in a movie together, and while both actors were hilarious and great on screen, the ending of the movie left me confused.

“Honey Don’t!” started out great. There were murder mystery elements; there was a questionable, cultist church; there was O’Donahue’s family drama; and there was the relationship between O’Donahue and Falcone. However, by the end of the movie, the murders might have been solved, but the rest of the plot points just ended – there was no sense of conclusion or payoff.

Four-Way Temple was a significant plot point throughout the movie – there was more happening than just worship, and the church seemed to be connected to everything. Devlin had questionable leadership style and practices, which O’Donahue briefly touched on. However, he led her astray, and she never discovered any of the behind-the-scenes activities.

She gets distracted when her niece, Corinne, goes missing. Now rerouted to find her niece, she discovers the murderer to be Falcone, who held Corinne hostage in her basement. Falcone admits to killing women for their involvement in the church. This seemed to be a strange reason to fuel the plot of the movie, especially when O’Donahue never seriously looked into the church.

And, just to add another plot point, O’Donahue’s estranged father shows up. First, he scares away O’Donahue’s niece, who thinks he is stalking her. Next, he shows up at O’Donahue’s house and attempts to apologize for his past mistakes. Then, the movie never mentions him again.

Finally, a French woman, Cher, was continuously mentioned in regard to the affairs of the church, but nothing was ever revealed or concluded about her role. However, at the end of the movie, Cher and O’Donahue meet, and then the credits roll.

Overall, the movie had entertaining aspects, but the ending ruined the movie. There were too many plot lines unfinished at the end which left me disappointed.

Rating: 5/10

mulforsj@miamioh.edu