As someone who watches way too much TV, I’ve got pretty much every streaming service. When new movies go to streaming, I try to catch up on titles that I previously missed in theaters. Thus came my recent double feature of The Naked Gun (which is streaming with a Paramount+ subscription) and Ethan Coen’s Honey Don’t!. I enjoyed both of them, although it took me a while to get out of the over the top and delightfully stupid Liam Neeson comedy. Seriously, I was getting whiplash.
Critics had a mixed reaction to Honey Don’t!, so I was eager to judge for myself when it was able to stream with my Peacock subscription. It’s a great dark comedy, featuring strong performances by favorites like Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, and Chris Evans. But, after seeing countless silly AF jokes throughout The Naked Gun, I kept expecting for the goofy shoe to drop on the Coen flick.
Honey Don’t Is A Dark Comedy, But I Kept Waiting For The Cartoonish Naked Gun Gags
The Naked Gun has non-stop jokes, and most of them are just plain stupid. I mean this as a high compliment, as that type of over the top broad comedy is gold and kept me in stitches throughout its 85-minute runtime. Between the pop culture references, visual gags, and runners it was all very bonkers. It was also hard to come down from, however, especially when starting a movie like Honey Don’t! which has its own unique comedic tone.
So, while I giggled through early bits there, especially Evans’ absolutely wild character, I kept waiting for sillier humor to pop up thanks to watching the two movies back to back. It took some time to adjust, but I ultimately got there and was able to enjoy the twists and turns that came with Ethan Coen’s latest directorial venture.
Honey Don’t! is the second part of a trilogy of lesbian B-movies to come from Ethan Coen, following Drive-Away Dolls. Both star The Substance‘s Margaret Qualley, and feature a crime element and some dark humor. I’ve really enjoyed both of these projects… I just probably shouldn’t have watched The Naked Gun directly before pressing play on it.
One truly bonkers character that helped serve as connective tissue between these two recent movies was Chris Evans’ Reverend Drew Devlin. He plays an egotistical cult leader and antagonist in Honey Don’t!, and does something that might make Captain America blush. This comes shortly after his NSFW Deadpool & Wolverine dialogue, and it certainly looks like he’s been having fun with his post-Steven Rogers roles. He’s probably the biggest scene stealer in the movie, and is playing such a weirdo that he could theoretically have fit into Neeson’s comedy as well.
Honey Don’t! is streaming now on Peacock, while The Naked Gun is on Paramount+. I’d recommend both movies, although doing a full-on double feature for the two 2025 movie releases has its risks.