Wendy Kaloski

**Review has Spoilers** As I was watching Don't Worry Darling on Prime Video, I couldn't help but think it was derivative of other movies I've seen; think The Truman Show and The Matrix. The difference is, the town in which the movie is set is 100% VR. Some people in the town of Victory opted to be there of their own accord, but as we find out towards the end of the movie, some are not. The female lead, played by Florence Pugh, is known as Alice, actually lived with her unemployed boyfriend and worked as an ER nurse. Their life seemed hard. She worked 30 hour shifts, and was constantly tired and overworked. Her boyfriend (Jack), played by Harry Styles, was unemployed and on the Internet all day, which is where he heard about Victory Project. They mention quite a bit that the husband's only job was "taking care of his wife." I took that to mean when the husbands go off to work, what they are actually doing is feeding and bathing their partner, paying bills, etc. because real life is going on in the background of this idillic life. When Alice finds out the truth, which she tries to ferret out during the majority of the movie, she kills Jack and runs to Victory HQ. She had been there once before when she accidentally came across the dome building after seeing a plane crash. She surmises that the dome building is where the VR software is run. She makes it to the building, outrunning security that was chasing her. She puts her hands on the glass of the building and the movie ends. I like Olivia Wilde a lot. She's a great actress. But this movie, written and directed by Olivia, seemed like a vehicle to tell a story that's happened before many times, but with technology as the vehicle to escape the real world. Additionally, it has a very Stepford Wives feel to it, and it clearly defines males and females in their forced gender roles. It clearly defines these roles as if the town of Victory was regurgitated from the 40's and 50's when women were in the kitchen and men made the money. I end this with, if you have some time on a Sunday afternoon and just want to be wowed by the fashion, the antique cars, and sex everyone is having, watch this movie. You can always watch the Stepford Wives; same thing with a little horror mixed in.

Wanted to add that a good coming of age series that's actually scary is Stranger Things. It's a 10.