There’s no denying Olivia Wilde can direct the hell out of a film. And together with her newest behind-the-camera effort, “Don’t Fear Darling,” the actress turned filmmaker constructs a horny and suspenseful thriller.
It’s a movie that ought to resonate with moviegoers, who could present up to take a look at an easy-on-the-eyes ensemble that features Florence Pugh, Harry Kinds and Chris Pine. On the very least, it’s a movie that may proceed to generate loads of chatter (there’s already a ton of pre-release headlines being made, a few of them even concerning the film itself). Nevertheless, like most popcorn thrillers, the probabilities of the Academy checking the movie off on their ballots is as farfetched because the film’s try and make Harry Kinds look unattractive in a single essential scene. Good attempt however I don’t purchase it.
The top product is a smorgasbord of excessive octane thrillers, much like “Gone Woman” (2014), which landed a single nom for its main actress Rosamund Pike. Pugh, a earlier nominee for “Little Girls,” has the showiest function as a suburban spouse who begins to doubt her actuality, and and there’ll champions for her, however the script’s shortcomings will hold her on the skin trying in.
Any Oscar love is prone to come for Arianne Phillips’s glamorous costumes and cinematographer Matthew Libatique’s sensuous framing. However even these appear to be heavy lifts for Warner Bros., the studio behind the film.
The ensemble is filled with proficient performers and A-list stars. Pine executes the perfect work of the supporting forged as a mysterious guru-like determine, whereas Kinds exhibits he can act. Nevertheless, if Kinds finds a pathway for awards recognition, it’s extra seemingly for his understated flip in “My Policeman” from Amazon Studios, relying on his class placement.
And Wilde doesn’t simply present she’s the actual deal as a director. She reminds viewers that she’s an amazing actress when given the the fitting function. As a cocktail-swilling neighbor with some darkish secrets and techniques of her personal, Wilde has a couple of knockout scenes. She’s not going to get nominated, but it surely’s nice to see her return to kind after her ignored work in “Meadowland.”
Backside line: you’ll be able to cross “Don’t Fear Darling”off your Oscar lists.
