Last week, Olivia Wilde’s envelopegate gave us legal gossip for the ages, but now let us talk about the important stuff—her work. The first trailer for her sophomore film, Don’t Worry Darling is here and it is creepy and weird with a Palm Springs circa midcentury flair that I LOVE.
Florence Pugh is a wife whose husband works on the mysterious “Victory Project”, and maybe everything in their little Stepford desert town isn’t as it seems. It’s giving Twilight Zone, it’s giving Truman Show, it’s giving Chris Pine as the bad guy (???) and bonus Gemma Chan. SUPER into it, it looks like a big swing, and the confidence Wilde is projecting is tremendous. Booksmart was a helluva debut, but this is a 180 spin away from that, and I love a nimble filmmaker who tries different genres every time out (next up: superheroes, because of course).
But I KNOW where most of your brains are at, and it’s the shot of Harry Styles going down on Florence Pugh on the dining room table. I don’t know what Harry Styles’ fandom is called, but I’m sure they’re living their best lives right now. But amidst all the “Watermelon Sugar” jokes, keep in mind that Styles explodes off the screen in Dunkirk—the kid’s got chops. It’ll be interesting to see what he does with a leading role, especially opposite actors like Pugh and Pine. Also, what is the Olivia Wilde/Harry Styles couple portmanteau and why isn’t it WildeStyles?