There’s no denying that Olivia Wilde can direct one hell of a movie. And with her latest effort behind the camera, “Don’t Worry Darling,” the actress-turned-director crafts a sexy and suspenseful thriller.
It’s a film that should appeal to moviegoers, who might turn up to see an easy-going ensemble that includes Florence Pugh, Harry Styles and Chris Pine. At the very least, it’s a movie that will continue to generate plenty of buzz (there’s already a ton of pre-release headlines, some of them even about the movie itself). However, like most popcorn thrillers, the chances of the Academy checking the film off their ballots are as slim as the film’s attempt to make Harry Styles look unattractive in a crucial scene. Nice try, but I’m not buying it.
The end product is a smorgasbord of high-octane thrillers, similar to “Gone Girl” (2014), which garnered a single nom for lead actress Rosamund Pike. Pugh, a previous nominee for “Little Women,” has the most impressive role as a suburban wife who begins to doubt her own reality, and there will be champions for her, but the script’s shortcomings will keep her out of watch. outwardly.
Any Oscar love is likely to come for Arianne Phillips’ glamorous costumes and cinematographer Matthew Libatique’s sultry framing. But even those seem like heavy lifting for Warner Bros., the studio behind the film.
And Wilde doesn’t just show that she’s the real deal as a director. She reminds viewers that she is a great actress when given the right role. As the cocktail-infused neighbor with some dark secrets of her own, Wilde has some knockout scenes. She’s not going to be nominated, but it’s great to see her back on form after her overlooked work in ‘Meadowland’.
Bottom line: you can scratch “Don’t Worry Darling” off Oscar shortlists.
