Don’t Worry Darling review: Harry Styles is the only weak link in this heart-racing thriller
DON’T WORRY DARLING
(15) 122mins
★★★★☆
IT’S called Don’t Worry Darling – but director Olivia Wilde had plenty of worries before the release of her much-anticipated film.
There were reports of an on-set affair between her and lead man Harry Styles, along with a supposed spat between her and lead woman Florence Pugh.
And she was served with legal papers in her custody battle with ex Jason Sudeikis over her two children — in front of an audience of 4,000 while promoting the film.
But the road to success is never easy. And Wilde’s film is just that: An uneasy success.
This psychological thriller immediately throws you into a world that looks too good to be true. Which usually means it is.
Loved-up couple Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) live in a 1950s world that looks like Madmen, Stepford Wives, The Truman Show and Edward Scissorhands combined.
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They are devoted to each other. Jack goes to work every day after a delicious breakfast cooked by Alice.
He pulls out of his drive-way with all the other handsome men on the estate, while their beautiful, scantily clad wives, including Bunny (Wilde), wave them off.
The women spend the day cleaning, preening and cooking for their men. And when they return, it just gets better, with Alice opening the door to Jack in a sexy dress with cocktail in hand.
However, something is very off and the company the men work for — run by a steely-eyed Frank (Chris Pine) and his ballet-teaching wife Shelley (Gemma Chan) — is a mysterious place that often causes minor earthquakes.
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Frank is a cult-leader type who can never be questioned. That is until Alice starts asking for answers — and everything turns very dark indeed.
While Pugh is hypnotic, her ability only highlights how, sadly, Styles is simply not an actor.
He has no depth in his eyes — they always appear blank and non-committal.
And his accent, which is confirmed to be “British” halfway through the film, is all over the place.
But he is the only weak link in this heart-racing thriller that will leave you very worried indeed.
JUNIPER
(15) 94mins
★★★☆☆
A SCRIPT so predictable you’ll guess how it will end within the first five minutes is propped up by excellent performances in this touching New Zealand family drama.
Troubled teenager Sam (George Ferrier) is on a path to self-destruction.
Grieving the loss of his mother, he’s angry with his dad (Marton Csokas) for sending him away to boarding school.
He is quick to lash out, and after being suspended from school, he is furious he will now have to help care for his equally difficult, chair-bound grandmother Ruth (Charlotte Rampling).
Gin-swigging, droll, cash-cow matriarch Ruth is prone to incessantly ringing a bell for attention and is just as awkward and stubborn as her sulky grandson.
But as they bond over booze and sunrises, each finds a form of solace and redemption in the company of the other.
There are no twists in this relatable dynamics tale, and the story finishes as obviously as it starts, but it is beautifully made and the characters are familiar and compelling enough to tug at generational truth cords.
And at 76 years old, Rampling delivers a fine and memorable turn.
CATHERINE CALLED BIRDY
(12A) 108 mins
★★★☆☆
MEDIEVAL times get a modern makeover in Lena Dunham’s heart-warming adaptation of Karen Cushman’s book.
The opening scene finds a 14-year-old Catherine (Bella Ramsey) rolling around in the mud with her pals from the village.
She’s feisty and will not be weighed down by the expectations of a young girl in 1290 England.
Her over-spending father (Andrew Scott) and always-pregnant mother (Billie Piper) struggle to afford their extravagant lifestyle, so need Catherine – who is nicknamed Birdy by her friends – to give them an income by marrying her off.
But Birdy views marriage as a trap and goes about trying to ruin her chances with any suitor.
Meanwhile, she is trying to hide the fact she’s “become a woman” (started her period) and has a crush on her Uncle George (Joe Alwyn).
This funny, often poignant film speeds along for the first hour, but then loses momentum. Scattered with modern pop covers and a hilarious performance from Scott, it provides enough joy to make Birdy a medieval feminist icon.
lIn cinemas now. Amazon Prime from October 7.
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