Olivia Wilde’s second directorial movie, Don’t Worry Darling premiered at the 79th Venice International Film Festival on September 5. Set in the 1950s, the American thriller received mixed reviews from critics. 

The movie is about a young Californian couple, Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack Chambers (Harry Styles). Their seemingly happy life is disrupted when Alice begins to suspect the true motives behind her husband’s company. Critics appreciated the idea that the movie revolves around but was unkind towards the screenplay and Styles’ performance. 

A Twitter user summed up the mixed review and stated the film as beautiful but messy, “Review: #DontWorryDarling is an example of how interesting ideas and good technical crafts don’t make a great film. The plot, while not original, starts well but loses steam as minutes go by, fully losing its focus in the final minutes. Overall a beautiful-looking but messy film”. 

Also Read: Don’t Worry Darling: Controversies in Olivia Wilde’s movie explained

Another twitter reaction read, “#DontWorryDarling review: This was supposed to be Harry’s big acting break where he could show off his Style, too bad Florence made him look like Pugh. Olivia was too busy Wildein behind the scenes while Chris was Pinein to be in another movie. Gemma Chan.”

“Sadly co-sign most of the #Venezia79 reviews of #DontWorryDarling – a hotchpotch of influences in search of a single persuasive idea and/or a scene that Harry Styles is good in. Loved the deranged twist though, and Florence Pugh is on Midsommar form”, was another Twitter reaction. 

Deadline movie review states that the film is “actually quite entertaining if you’re in the mood, even if it “doesn’t rewrite the rules of the genre in any significant way”. 

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter stated, “When things turned dark and strange Jack’s idealized world is threatened, that’s when doubts arise about Styles’ range. Is he just a magnetic screen presence who looks fabulous in 1950s threads, or an actor capable of depth and nuance? He’s fine in the role but based on this, the jury’s still out”.

Also Read: Don’t Worry Darling filming locations

Don’t Worry Darling will be released on September 23, 2022, in the United States. The movie stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Chris Pine, Gemma Chan, Kiki Layne, and Nick Kroll.