With all the buzz and controversy surrounding it in the weeks leading up to its release, it would be easy to say that ‘Darling’ just couldn’t get out of its own way, but it turns out it’s just not a very good movie in its own right. Director Olivia Wilde apparently wanted to channel her inner David Lynch for this ‘Stepford Wives’-ish drama about the seedy underbelly of life in a picture-perfect bit of secretive suburbia. Heaven knows Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, and Chris Pine know what they’re doing, but the big third act reveal is a disappointing fizzle, and Wilde, frankly, seems more concerned with being esoteric than just presenting a good film.

2/5 stars