‘Don’t Worry Darling’ Is Every Bit the Mess You’ve Heard It Was
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There are roughly 47,000—oh, wait, a new Netflix Original just dropped, make that 47,001—TV shows and movies coming out each week. At Obsessed, we consider it our imperative social duty to help you see the best and skip the rest.
We’ve already got a variety of in-depth, exclusive coverage on all of your streaming favorites and new releases, but sometimes what you’re looking for is a simple Do or Don’t. That’s why we created See/Skip, to tell you exactly what our writers think you should See and what you can Skip from the past week’s crowded entertainment landscape.
Skip: Don't Worry Darling
Don’t Worry Darling is a haphazard mess. Harry Styles’ leading-man looks and Florence Pugh’s gaslit girlboss can’t save this ’50s fable. Let it be a lesson to all: If your title is missing a comma, you’re doomed from the start. Olivia Wilde owes me the $150 in medical bills I incurred to stop the eye twitch I developed from having to read a comma-less title for two years.
Here's Marlow Stern's take:
“Don’t Worry Darling is more than anything a showcase for Pugh who, as in her previous Midsommar, has mastered the art of embodying gaslit women who slowly unravel. She captures Alice’s torment and rebellion with gusto, as in a scene—arguably the best in the film—where she goes toe-to-toe with Pine at a dinner party. It is unfortunate, then, that Styles struggles to match her go-for-broke intensity.
The musician is like a deer in headlights throughout much of the proceedings, and a scene of him crying in the car following a particularly fiery row with Pugh is littered with more crocodile tears than Charlie Sheen being hauled out of his office by the cops at the end of Wall Street (not to mention, his bastardized British accent is a distraction).”
(L-R) Maia Reficco, Paris Berelc, Maya Hawke, and Alisha Boe in Do Revenge.
See: Do Revenge
Do Revenge is not just one of the first truly fun Netflix originals in years, it’s this generation’s defining teen film. With its biting nastiness updated for Gen Z and dressed in pastel Zara couture, it makes rebooted Gossip Girl look like go piss, girl.
Here's Coleman Spilde's take:
“Each decade can sport only one truly great high school film. Sorry, but that’s just the way things are. Think of it as the Queen Bee: a movie that stands out amongst the crowd of its wannabe, lesser subjects for its instantly visible wit, originality, and lasting impact. And there obviously can’t be two queens.
The movie assesses the current pretensions of teenagerdom and sends them up in new, cackle-inducingly funny ways for both teens and adults alike. Those laughs are paired with the perfect amount of cutting, pithy digs that genre fans live and die for. Any movie that can make middle schoolers afraid of high school and the late-twenties crowd nostalgic for the cutthroat anxiety of upperclassmanship is a pretty remarkable feat.”
Chelsea Clinton and Hillary Clinton in Gutsy.
Skip: Gutsy
Gutsy is an obnoxious vanity project that serves no purpose other than to continue Hillary Clinton’s attempts at bolstering her public admiration. The gutsiest thing about this strange family road trip docuseries is the fact that Kim Kardashian was willing to engage in a battle of legal trivia. But it is interesting foreshadowing to watch her interview the future president, Madame Thee Stallion.
Here's Laura Bradley's take:
“Gutsy derives its title from The Book of Gutsy Women, a tome the Clintons released in 2019 celebrating the women who inspire them most. The series, which centers each episode around a distinct theme, is similarly interested in promoting powerful women’s legacies. Some of the show’s subjects, like the Yurok Wellness Court founder, Yurok Judge Abby Abinanti, offer fascinating insights into social justice and community organizing work. Megan Thee Stallion stops by in Episode 2 for a casual painting session during which she and the Clintons discuss the episode’s theme—“Gutsy Women Refuse Hate.” (Yes, all of the titles are phrased as admonitions.)
Every now and again, however, someone will say something tone-deaf or hypocritical enough to snap everything into perspective. Few moments ring more hollow than Hillary Clinton nodding along as one of her subjects, attorney Brittany K. Barnett, discusses her mother’s crack-cocaine addiction and the need for prison reform. The series makes sure to put Ronald Reagan’s face on the screen but makes no mention of the Clintons’ own militant war on drugs.”
Viola Davis and Thuso Mbedu star in The Woman King.
See: The Woman King
The Woman King, which follows a team of West African women warriors led through battle by Viola Davis, is an action-packed reminder of what blockbuster marvels can and should be. Just call it How to Get Away with Murder (In 1823).
Here's Fletcher Peters' take:
“What seals the deal on The Woman King is that the Agojie were a real troop of warriors (who actually inspired the Dora Milaje warriors in Black Panther) that took down the Oyo Tribe in the 1800s. The Woman King immerses the audience in thick layers of history in West Africa, where the issue of the slave trade is too complex to explain without seeing every side of the story. We meet the traders, the Oyo Tribe, the victims being traded away, and as many folks in the Dahomey Kingdom as possible. No stone is left unturned in The Woman King.
The best moments by far, though, are any that focus on the tight bond shared between fellow Agojie warriors. They are sisters, brought together by their love of the craft and their passion for protecting each other. It is a pleasure to watch them dance together, perfect their skills together, and enter battle together as one momentous group of power—all held together by Viola Davis, who shines like the legend she is.
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