Honey, Don’t! is the latest feature from acclaimed filmmaker Ethan Coen, marking the second installment of his self-proclaimed “lesbian B-movie trilogy” that began with 2024’s Drive-Away Dolls. Arriving in theaters this weekend, the movie follows a young detective who begins to investigate the suspicious activity of a local preacher, who may be involved with a string of violent deaths.

This movie is Ethan Coen’s second feature as a solo filmmaker, after spending the majority of his career alongside his brother, Joel. The pair split professionally over five years ago, and while the Coen brothers will admittedly reunite soon, the pair are clearly enjoying their own space for creativity at the moment. But unfortunately, one of the brothers seems to be finding more critical success than the other.

The Coen Brothers’ Solo Careers Couldn’t Be More Different

Since stepping back from making movies together following The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, the two Coen brothers have gone in totally different directions with their careers. While Joel has focused more closely on drama, with an Oscar-nominated Shakespeare adaptation under his belt, Ethan has remained firmly in the comedy genre, working on the so-called “lesbian B-movie trilogy.”

The Tragedy of Macbeth was a huge departure for Joel Coen, marking an enormous change from the offbeat comedies and thrillers that the filmmaker was previously known for making alongside his brother. He brought a very artistic and thoughtful approach to this new version of Macbeth, both drawing inspiration from previous adaptations and making it entirely his own at the same time.

Ethan Coen’s career has displayed the same unbridled creativity, albeit in a totally unrelated field. Drive-Away Dolls feels more like a classic Coen brothers comedy, following two young women as they run away from their hometown and get caught up in a criminal scheme on the road.

Interestingly, this disparity between Joel and Ethan Coen’s solo careers has retroactively cast their joint filmography in a different light. Judging by Ethan’s desire to stick with comedy, and Joel’s decision to drift more towards serious stories, it’s easy to look back at films like Raising Arizona and No Country for Old Men and see the brothers’ individual influence on them.

While the Coens have never really spoken about which of their movies were primarily influenced by which brother, their solo movies seem to offer some insight on that front. Ethan’s taste seems more in-line with projects like Hail Caesar! and Burn After Reading, while Joel Coen’s more weighted, mature storytelling is reminiscent of Inside Llewyn Davis and True Grit.

This may not always have been the case, but it’s becoming increasingly clear that both Joel and Ethan have very different styles that contributed to their joint ventures over the years. This is typically the sign of a great partnership, but it’s equally important to get these uncompromised ideas out eventually, unburdened by the other one’s conflicting approach.

The Coens’ Recent Movies Prove That Quanтιтy Isn’t That Important

Although Joel and Ethan Coen’s solo careers both have their own strengths, one of the brothers has undeniably found more success than the other – and surprisingly, it’s the one who’s been the least active of the pair. While Ethan has released two projects in the past year alone, with Drive-Away Dolls and Honey, Don’t!, Joel has only made one film in the past six years.

And still, despite this relative inactivity, it’s Joel who’s often viewed as the more “successful” brother in recent years. The Tragedy of Macbeth received huge critical acclaim, going on to collect three Academy Award nominations, including a Best Actor nod for Denzel Washington. The film has a critics’ score of 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and remains the consensus pick for the best solo-Coen movie.

Conversely, Ethan’s movies have a very dedicated fanbase, but this group seems to be in the minority. Drive-Away Dolls has critics’ and audience scores of 64% and 37% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes, with Letterboxd users aggregating it at 2.8/5. Perhaps it’s because quirky crime thrillers simply have a less universal target audience than enduring Shakespeare tragedies, but the fact remains: Ethan Coen’s movies are less popular.

This is a huge shame, because there’s plenty to love in Drive-Away Dolls. It’s filled with sharp comedy, it displays an endearing level of confidence and ambition, and the two lead performances from Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan are extremely charming. The director knows exactly the kind of film he wants to make; they just don’t tend to be the films that audiences generally want from him.

And judging by the reviews for Honey, Don’t!, Ethan’s latest movie seems to be going down a similar route. The film debuted with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 45%, which is an unfortunate decrease from Drive-Away Dolls’ 64%. Perhaps it’s unfair to compare Ethan’s two movies with his brother’s single one, but Joel seems to be proving that patience is key when forging a new solo career.