A private investigator (Qualley) looking into the strange death of a new client.  An evangelist (Evans) who uses his pulpit to  be prey on vulnerable women.  A chatty police detective (Day) who leaks information like a sieve.  A police officer (Plaza) in need of love, love and more love.  A single mum (Connolly) juggling a household with too many kids.  An office assistant (Beans) with a very light workload.

The Coen brothers have a long-held reputation of creating quirky, memorable characters (e.g. Fargo, No Country for Old Men) and while they now work separately, Ethan Coen continues the trend in Honey Don’t!  It’s a short (89 minute) dark comedy described as being part of a “lesbian B-movie trilogy.”  The narratives don’t overlap but this is the second outing following last year’s Drive-Away Dolls. Once again, Coen is collaborating with his wife, Tricia Cooke, who is credited as a screenwriter.

I appreciate why some may not like this.  A more traditional storyline would link the subplots and resolve them to audiences’ satisfaction.  Coen and Cooke take an alternative approach. They’re vastly different movies but I could draw a comparison to last week’s major new release, The Naked Gun.  You don’t watch a movie like that for its big finale – which is borderline irrelevant to one’s enjoyment.  Rather, you buy a ticket in anticipation of the jokes and interactions along the way.

That’s the attitude you must take into Honey Don’t!  The entire cast, including the minor supporting players, leave an impression with their distinctive performances.  They’re helped by the quality script which allows them to wittily interact with each other.  Margaret Qualley (The Substance) is central to all – from her back-and-forth debate with Chris Evans about being “open”, through to a discussion with Aubrey Plaza about “third dates”.  Adding to the film’s allure is the horniness of its characters.  So many of these people are either getting laid… or want to be getting laid.

Set in a small, desolate town where every building needs repairs (another cool point of distinction), Honey Don’t! taps into my own warped sense of humour.  Thumbs up.