Margaret Qualley plays Detective Honey O’Donahue. Her style and charm bring a touch of glamour to the bleak town of Bakersfield. Honey’s client has died in a car wreck. She suspects it was no accident. Honey Don’t! is the second film in Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s lesbian B-movie trilogy. I found it more entertaining than last year’s Drive Away Dolls. Qualley’s performance is delightful. But the screenplay feels like a rough draft.

Bakersfield (by way of Albuquerque) is filled with crooks, creeps and victims. Characters have wild sex. Then commit brutal murders. None of it means anything to the survivors. Such nihilism is customary for a film noir. Yet Coen and Cooke and prefer shaggy dog stories. Their screenplay pushes Honey’s investigation aside for unrelated capers and subplots. Chris Evans’s lecherous Reverend, Aubrey Plaza’s jaded cop and Lera Abova’s femme fatale get the juiciest scenes. I just wish Qualley had more opportunities to interact with them. When she’s off screen the film drags.

An abrupt ending plays like the setup for a television series. It’s unlikely we’ll get more time with Detective O’Donahue. If Qualley returns for the third film, she’ll be playing someone new. I hope Coen and Cooke will give her a more satisfying story. She has the charisma to carry one.

You can find more of my reviews on The Avocado, Letterboxd and Serializd. My podcast, Rainbow Colored Glasses, can be found here.