By TeeJay Small
| Published 24 seconds ago

I recently sat down to watch 2025’s Honey Don’t on Netflix, and quickly learned that the film’s title is actually little more than an instruction manual. The movie offers some really quirky dialogue, solid performances, and a stacked cast of A-listers who I usually love. Unfortunately, the movie has no proper ending, so just about everything leading up to the credits feels like a gigantic waste of time. When the credit scroll began, I genuinely felt like I must have somehow received a bootlegged copy of the film which mistakenly cut off the entire final act.

A Hard-Boiled Noir Comedy

Let’s get into it. Honey Don’t is a neo-noir black comedy written and directed by Joel Coen. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because Joel is one half of the famed Coen brothers filmmaking duo, responsible for delivering such classics as The Big Lebowski, Fargo, and Burn After Reading. Known for their quirky and stylized material, I went into this film expecting something a little out there, but walked away super disappointed. My frustration was only exacerbated by the insane amount of star power in this cast, which consists of Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, and It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia‘s Charlie Day.

The plot of Honey Don’t centers on the eponymous Honey O’Donahue (Margaret Qualley). She’s a slick-talking private detective with an eye for beautiful women and even more beautiful classic cars. After a concerned late-night call from a client, Honey wakes up to learn that a young woman has been found dead on the side of the road, in a suspicious car wreck. While investigating alongside the local police, Honey locates a stack of self-help books and some funky church robes, cluing her in to some kind of twisted conspiracy.

Meanwhile, Chris Evans portrays a charismatic, womanizing cult leader named Reverend Drew Devlin. Devlin runs a church known as the Four-Way Temple, where he beds young female congregants and forces the men to traffic drugs to fund the practice. He has a series of French suppliers who have become increasingly frustrated with his erratic behavior, which has led to a number of botched hit jobs in recent weeks. Honey catches wind of this operation and, after stopping to spark up a romance with a police officer named MG (Aubrey Plaza), she pops in to question Devlin.

The questioning is repetitive in a way that feels fun, stylized, and referential to a bygone era of hard-boiled mystery noir films, but ultimately goes nowhere. Just when it looks like Honey has no leads left to explore, her own niece goes missing, and she believes Devlin is to blame. Here’s where things go completely off the rails. Devlin’s storyline wraps up with 40 minutes left in the film, when he’s suddenly killed by his French connect. Then, Honey accidentally learns that it’s her own girlfriend targeting and killing young women, and the whole church cult was just a giant red herring.

The Cinematic Equivalent Of A Tuxedo Fart

Coen ham-fists some nonsense about MG hating weak-willed women because of her relationship with her dad or something, but none of it scans, and the entire final act falls flat on its face. To paraphrase a line from Always Sunny‘s Dennis Reynolds, the entire film is just a series of crime, then sex scenes, then crime, penetration, crime, penetration, until it just sort of … ends.

Do you remember that job interview scene from the movie Step Brothers, where Seth Rogen digs the vibe of the brothers, and lauds their decision to wear tuxedos instead of suits? Then, after a bout of uncontrollable flatulence, Rogen rethinks his entire position on the brothers, and remarks “now the tuxedos seem kind of f-ed up.” That’s a perfect metaphor for how I felt watching this entire movie.

At first, I was pumped about the weird dialogue choices, the period style aesthetic, and that bizarre transatlantic accent Margaret Qualley is halfway pulling off. Once I realized the movie has no ending, and each plot thread goes basically nowhere, all of those things became a frustrating waste of time.

I’m still really disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this movie more, but Honey Don’t is on Netflix now, in case you want to give it a spin for yourself.

Milania Giudice, daughter of “Real Housewives of New Jersey“ star Teresa Giudice, has built an impressive social media following. However, she recently took a break from posting, and now it’s come to light that the 20-year-old college student was recently arrested following what was referred to as an instance of domestic violence.

This comes as her dad, Joe Giudice, currently lives in the Bahamas following his release from prison for fraud.

According to Us Weekly, Giudice was arrested in Montville Township, New Jersey, on May 14. This action by local police came after she was accused of being involved in a domestic violence incident. Per the report, this all happened at around 6:12 in the afternoon.

Giudice was charged with simple assault and purposely/knowingly causing bodily injury. There was a hearing on May 19, but the social media influencer didn’t enter a plea.

Giudice has amassed over 500k followers on TikTok. Oftentimes, she makes multiple posts a day, including one on the day of the domestic violence instance, where she could be seen wearing a green jacket, a dark colored shirt, and a pair of white pants. The video used a sound that says, “You are a diva, a young, beautiful diva.”

After that, Giudice didn’t post on the platform until May 2, when she could be seen wearing a cream-colored dress with the back mostly out. She has since resumed her regular posting schedule.

‘RHONJ’ Fans Are Reacting To The Shocking Arrest

Following the public announcement that Giudice had been arrested, many are offering their reactions on social media. For the most part, they’re mentioning some of Teresa’s past antics from the show, namely the iconic table flip from season one.

One person said, “Like mother, like daughter.” Someone else wrote, “I honestly wonder what happened. Was this a boyfriend?” After that, a different “RHONJ” watcher chimed in, saying, “This is actually not surprising to me at all.” This comment then prompted another social media user to note, “She’s always been a little spitfire lol.”

Someone else joked, “Aggression runs in the family.” Lastly, some commentators noted that her arrest occurred during filming of the upcoming season of “The Real Housewives of New Jersey,” meaning it will likely be mentioned on the show.

They said, “IN THE MIDDLE OF FILMING YESSSS.”

Teresa Previously Opened Up About How Milania Handled Joe’s Prison Sentence

Both Teresa and her husband served time behind bars after being found guilty of fraud. She served from January until December 2015, whereas he was behind bars from March 2016 until the same month in 2019.

Following her release, Teresa opened up at BravoCon in 2019 about how she attempted to make the situation as normal as possible. Per PEOPLE, she said, “It breaks my heart. It’s hard. I try to compensate. Whatever they say. I jump over hoops for them, for whatever they’re going through. Whatever they say to me, I try to do for them, just for the situation. They’re amazing kids.”

Regarding Milania, she shared that she had “the hardest time” before saying that “she’s turned it around.” According to the “RHONJ” star, “She saw a therapist last year, and she’s doing better in school. She lost over 40 lbs. She put it in her head, and she did it.”

Teresa then said, “I hope they all keep going on the right track. As a mom, that’s what you do it for.” She continued reflecting, saying, “My girls had to grow up quick because of everything we’ve been through. As a mom, you never know if you’ve done a good job or not. But watching my girls, they’re pretty amazing. They grew up quick.”

Milania Just Finished Her Sophomore Year

Giudice is a student at the University of Tampa studying public relations. She started in the fall of 2024 and has now finished her sophomore year. Ahead of her most recent academic year, she appeared on her sister Gia Giudice‘s podcast “Casual Chaos” and gave an update.

She said in June 2025, “I love college. I love everything about it.” Regarding her living arrangements for her second year, Giudice shared, “So I’m going to live in an apartment my sophomore year with one roommate. I’m really excited about that.”

Millie Bobby Brown is opening up about one of the biggest dreams she has carried since childhood: becoming a mother through adoption. The “Enola Holmes 3” star got candid during an appearance on “Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce,” where she reflected on building a family with husband Jake Bongiovi and why adoption was always part of her vision for the future. Brown and Bongiovi first announced in August 2025 that they had welcomed a baby girl through adoption, later asking for privacy as they entered parenthood.

For Brown, adoption was never a backup plan. In fact, it was something she dreamed about from an early age.

“Always, always wanted to adopt,” Brown shared on Thursday’s podcast episode. “It was always part of my childhood dreams. Every time I was at home and I was, you know, 5, 6 years old, my parents were like, ‘You had your baby dolls.’ They were all adopted. I never had any of them myself. And I never pretended I was pregnant.”

At the same time, Brown clarified that she still hopes to carry children of her own someday. “It’s not because I don’t want that. Hopefully one day that’s in my future,” she explained.

Still, the actress emphasized how deeply meaningful adoption remains to her: “Adoption is love, adoption is forever.”

Millie Bobby Brown And Jake Bongiovi Took Their Time With The Process

Brown also revealed that she and Bongiovi carefully considered what the adoption journey would look like before growing their family.

Before pursuing acting full-time, Brown shared that she initially studied social work, later switching her focus to veterinary medicine, a path that further shaped her perspective on adoption. “I loved the aspect of adoption in my social work courses… so meaningful and important,” she said.

The actress explained that learning more about birth mothers and the adoption experience helped shape the couple’s approach.

“I also learned what it, you know, speaking to, and reading a lot about being a birth mother and what that journey is,” Brown shared. “So for me, my husband and I took a lot of time to focus on what that story and what that journey looks like. And then we embarked it.”

The Couple Has Kept Their Daughter’s Life Private

Since welcoming their daughter, Brown and Bongiovi have intentionally kept much of their family life out of the spotlight. The pair have not publicly revealed their daughter’s name or shown her face online.

When announcing the adoption last year, the couple shared a heartfelt statement. “This summer, we welcomed our sweet baby girl through adoption,” they wrote at the time. “We are beyond excited to embark on this beautiful next chapter of parenthood in peace and privacy.”

Brown Says Her Mom Has Become Her Parenting ‘911’

As Brown continues adjusting to life as a mom, she recently admitted that parenting has come with plenty of unexpected moments, and a few panicked calls to her own mother. The “Enola Holmes 3” actress opened up about motherhood in a UNICEF video shared June 1 as part of the organization’s “My Parenting Journey” series.

Brown, who serves as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, revealed that some of her biggest parenting worries come when her daughter does something unfamiliar. “They are doing something and you’re like, ‘Is that normal? Do they do that?’” Brown shared.

Like many first-time parents, the actress admitted she often turns to family for reassurance. “And you know, I’ll call my [mom]. She’s just like my 911. ‘[Mom], did I do this? Did my siblings do this?’” Brown said.

Thankfully, her mom usually has a calming answer ready. “And she is like, ‘Oh, that’s completely normal. They do that all the time.’”

Millie Bobby Brown Says Motherhood Has Brought Unexpected Judgment

While Brown has embraced motherhood, she admitted the experience has also come with criticism from other women.

“I was like, ‘This is vicious. You are vicious,’” Brown said of some reactions she has received since becoming a mom. “And I don’t have time for angry women that just need to feel like they need to bring you down, especially when it comes to motherhood. I’ve never experienced anything like this.”

The actress previously reflected on her first Mother’s Day while speaking to Extra in May, emphasizing that every kind of motherhood deserves celebration.

“We’re all mothers, and no matter if we’re adoptive mothers, birth mothers, or you know, whatever, like a maternal figure,” Brown said. “Everybody should be celebrated. Everybody is raising beautiful children, hopefully, and we’re raising the next generation. So, of course, women should be celebrated in every way and every day.”

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales underwent a procedure to remove a small spot of cancer from his nose, he revealed at Carolina’s minicamp on Tuesday, June 9.

Canales, 45, said that it was a spot of basal cell carcinoma that was discovered during a routine screening two months ago.

“It’s a good reminder not to take these things for granted,” Canales told reporters. “It was a basal cell type of skin cancer in a small spot, and they were able to get it off. So I’m really appreciative.”

Basal cell carcinoma is a highly curable and common form of skin cancer. It often presents as a “slightly transparent bump on the skin” and is usually found on parts of the body that receive the most sunlight, according to the Mayo Clinic.

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Canales said his mother also dealt with skin cancer in her 40s, which made him diligent about using sunscreen.

“You can imagine a Southern California kid playing outdoor sports and then getting into coaching, right?” Canales said.

Canales is entering his third season as Panthers head coach, his first such opportunity in the NFL. After going 5-12 in year one, he led Carolina to the playoffs in 2025-26, where the Panthers lost to the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round.

Dave made headlines in January when passages from the 2022 book he coauthored with his wife, Lizzy Canales, resurfaced. The book, titled, “This Marriage? The Question That Changed Everything,” goes in-depth about what Dave called the “secret life” he was living, which included infidelity.

“I would be out with my friends and take my ring off, acting like I was single depending on who was around,” Dave wrote. “This didn’t happen all the time, but I left a crack in the door for deceit.”

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Dave and Lizzy got married in 2006 and they share four children: Ashby, Ben, Bea and Amaya.

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“I cheated on Lizzy for the first time at my bachelor party one month before we got married,” he added. “From the start of our relationship, I was binge drinking and going out with my friends, without Lizzy. Before I was ever unfaithful to her, I was already there in my mind. Bad habits combined with addiction made it hard for me to resist temptation.”

The couple opened up about their marital problems in an effort to help other couples going through similar situations.

“We had to really think about how exposed we would be as a couple who already existed in a very public profession,” Dave wrote in the preface. “Sharing our scars meant being willing to tell people the truth of how our marriage failed.”

By TeeJay Small
| Published 15 seconds ago

If you were to run up to a stranger on the street and ask them who portrays Din Djarin, they’d probably say “What? Who are you?” If you really pressed them about it, they’d eventually offer the name of Hollywood A-lister Pedro Pascal. While Pascal does provide the voice of the Mandalorian throughout the Disney+ show, he rarely suits up and cradles Grogu these days. Instead, that responsibility falls squarely on a man by the name of Brendan Wayne, who just happens to be John Wayne’s grandson.

Thanks to a profile in Variety, we now know that Brendan Wayne is responsible for bringing the physicality of Din Djarin to life in most episodes of The Mandalorian. If you’re looking to spot him specifically, just keep an eye on Mando’s neck, as well as his cowboy stature. Per Wayne himself, “I have the longest neck, so I have a little more space between my cowl to the cape … You see the angles when [Mando] sits at his hip, there’s a reason why people are like, ‘That looks like John Wayne.’ It’s because it’s me. That’s just my natural resting body.”

Brendan Wayne Honors The Cowboy Code

Wayne apparently auditioned for the role back in 2018, where he met with series director Jon Favreau and Lucasfilm president Dave Filoni. As the story goes, Wayne suited up for a screen test, and offered some prudent advice about how an actual cowboy would walk, talk, and gun down aliens among the stars. His cowboy experience comes primarily from his mother, whom he says insisted upon honoring the “cowboy code” in his childhood home.

In case you’re not familiar with John Wayne, he was an iconic western actor from the golden age of Hollywood. He often portrayed cowboys or folk heroes in his work. Though his films are lesser known to modern audiences, Wayne remains a symbol of old Hollywood, especially for fans of the classics and film historians. If you’ve got living grandparents, bring up John Wayne to them and watch as they light up with memories of The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and El Dorado.

The Suit Makes The Man, But The Man Makes The Suit!

Obviously, Pedro Pascal is responsible for donning the armor any time Djarin removes his helmet to deliver a steely-eyed line to the camera. Still, the characters’ creed insists that he leave his helmet on at all times, so body doubles such as Brendan Wayne are responsible for wearing the full 62-pound costume throughout most shoot days. Back in the first season of The Mandalorian, Pascal wore the suit much more often. These days, there’s no need to pay his Marvel-sized salary for scenes where his face won’t be on camera.

The added benefit of having Pedro Pascal out of the armor is job security for people like Brendan. As he explains in his Variety profile, his renewed contract “gave my children and us some peace of mind.” During the first two seasons of the show, he would still bartend on the weekends, just to ensure he’d have a steady paycheck if Disney didn’t need him. These days, he’s walking ten paces and drawing down on aliens on a fairly regular basis. He says “It was life-changing. Even as just an actor, I got to create a character on a show who is literally defining an era of Star Wars.”

So the next time you’re looking for a fun fact, or dogging out your pals at a Star Wars trivia event, be sure to keep this one in your back pocket. Turns out The Mandalorian isn’t just a fresh take on a western format, it also employs a fresh version of a western icon.

Scooter Braun attended game 4 of the NBA Finals alongside girlfriend Sydney Sweeney — but they didn’t sit courtside with other A-listers.

Braun, 44, revealed in an Instagram comment on Thursday, June 11, that Sweeney, 28, “surprised me with tickets” to the game, which is why they didn’t sit in celebrity row at Madison Square Garden.

The New York Post claimed that Sweeney was “pushed off” the court in a headline published on Thursday, which is what prompted Braun’s explanation.

The music mogul further explained that the seats Sweeney purchased were “in the same section” as Braun’s dad and brother. Sweeney bought the tickets “so I could share it with them,” he added.

“Let’s keep things positive and get One more!” Braun’s comment concluded.. “Greatest game of all time. Can’t stop smiling.”

The New York Knicks beat the San Antonio Spurs during Game 4 in NYC on Wednesday, June 10. Eagle-eyed fans were quick to clock Braun and Sweeney seated a few rows behind Taylor Swift, who attended the game with two of the Haim sisters and Mariska Hargitay.

Wednesday’s game was the closest Braun and Swift have been since their years-long business dispute started in 2019. At the time, Braun acquired Swift’s masters from her former record label, Big Machine.

Swift famously slammed Braun when discussing the situation on social media. In the years that followed, Swift started rerecording her backlog, creating Taylor’s Version of several albums — including Fearless, Red, Speak Now and 1989 — before obtaining ownership of her original catalog.

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Swift announced in May 2025 that she had successfully bought back the rights to her music.

“I’m trying to gather my thoughts into something coherent, but right now my mind is just a slideshow,” she shared at the time. “A flashback sequence of all the times I daydreamed about, wished for, and pined away for a chance to get to tell you this news.”

Swift continued, “All the times I was thiiiiiiiis close, reaching out for it, only for it to fall through. I almost stopped thinking it could ever happen, after 20 years of having the carrot dangled and then yanked away. But that’s all in the past now.”

The singer noted that she has been “bursting into tears of joy” after hearing the good news.

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“I really get to say these words,” she added. “All of the music I’ve ever made… now belongs… to me.”

When asked for a response to Swift’s business win, Braun stayed diplomatic.

“I wish everybody the best,” he told TMZ.

DJ Akademiks and Lil Baby have had a rocky relationship for years. Their issues reportedly began around 2022. Akademiks frequently criticized Lil Baby’s music following the release of ‘It’s Only Me.’ He also believed songs contained shots aimed at him. Over time, the tension seemed to cool. Akademiks even gave some of Lil Baby’s newer music positive reviews. However, things seemingly shifted again when Akademiks resumed criticizing Lil Baby’s music and standing in the industry. As of 2026, Akademiks was upset after he alleged that Lil Baby’s assistant snuck him over his public comments about the rapper. The pair were also linked to a potential boxing match through Adin Ross. However, the event never came together. Now, the feud appears back in the spotlight after a recent video seemingly reignited tensions between the two sides. 

RELATED: DJ Akademiks Clears The Air After Viral Post Suggested He Fueled Rumors About Kai Cenat’s Ex Gabrielle Alayah & NBA YoungBoy (VIDEOS)

DJ Akademiks Goes Off After Lil Baby Seemingly Mentions Him In A Video

On Tuesday, a video of Lil Baby went viral on social media after the rapper seemingly mentioned DJ Akademiks in a behind-the-scenes clip from his latest music video. In the clip, Lil Baby reportedly said, “F*** Akademiks, that n**** the feds.” DJ Akademiks quickly reacted on X, writing: “Half of Atlanta rappers documented on audio tape talking to cops, including half the n***** he still calls ‘twin’… is this n**** stupid? If I’m the feds… Young Thug the lieutenant, I report to him.”

DJ Akademiks Shades Multiple Atlanta Rappers As He Continues Responding To Lil Baby

With no letup in sight, DJ Akademiks continued firing off posts aimed at Lil Baby while also bringing other Atlanta rappers into the conversation. In additional tweets, he appeared to accuse several rappers of cooperating with law enforcement and suggested they should have a group name before doubling down with more remarks.

He wrote, “Before I let a rat lover like Lil Baby ever call me the Feds I quit hip hop. U gon call ur fellow Atlanta rappers rats before u talk bout big Ak if it’s the last thing to do. U young thug gunna Gucci. Yall need a group name.”

Akademiks later added: “Lil baby. And the Atlanta rat rappers ain’t finna escape. Imma make sure of it. Detective Gucci. Lieutenant young thug and sergeant Lil baby. We on yall a** now.”

While he claims he isn’t referring to every Atlanta rapper, noting that artists like 21 Savage and Future aren’t included, Akademiks later took the drama to his livestream. There, he claimed several Atlanta rappers called his phone asking to be left out of the situation. According to Akademiks, they told him they have love for him and agreed with some of his points, but wanted him to ease up on the Atlanta talk. He claimed they told him: “They [all] said, ‘F*** Baby, you’re saying the truth, but don’t make it a full Atlanta thing.’”

Akademiks alleges many Atlanta rappers called him to say they’re on his side amid his ongoing feud with Lil Baby

“They [all] said ‘f*** Baby, you’re saying the truth but don’t make it a full Atlanta thing’” pic.twitter.com/soyuky55RK

— Kurrco (@Kurrco) June 10, 2026

Social Media Weighs In On The Feud 

Folks quickly gathered under The Shade Room Teens to react to DJ Akademiks’ posts. Some defended Lil Baby. Others felt Akademiks made a few valid points. Many also shared their thoughts on the ongoing feud.

Instagram user @happythoughts8441 wrote, “Lil baby got say one word just to have ak on a rant lol baby really the goat 😂”

Instagram user @bjfrmdabottombackup2 added, “Ak still mad wham cameraman exposed him for getting slapped wit his security there and they didn’t do nun 😂”

While Instagram user @gpeezy._ wrote, “He been moving diff since he got the OVO chain”

Instagram user @howardmiyah53 wrote, “I blame y’all for making AK think he’s the sponsor of hip-hop 😭 y’all agreeing with man when this man got a weird case behind him”

Instagram user @smartelyk_2.0 added, “Can u go outside by yourself?Ask yourself that question while you online before you start popping off….WE DONT BELIEVE YOU AK 😂😂😂”

While Instagram user @kill_dagme wrote, “I can’t stand AK but Atlanta rappers do got a track record of snitching 🤷🏾‍♀️ “

Instagram user @classiqdevine wrote, “dont mention my husband. @gunna dont worry, i got this 💯”

Instagram user @jordancheyenne._ added, “21 savage not even from america like gone fr 😭😭😭”

While Instagram user @_ pyrexlivin._ wrote, “when ak is wrong hes WRONG, but when hes right…hes right 😭🙏🏽”

RELATED: DJ Akademiks Says He’ll ‘Fight’ Lil Baby For Free Or For Money: ‘I Will Choke You To Death’

By Robert Scucci
| Published 41 seconds ago

I don’t know about you, but when I think of Milla Jovovich, I think of the first Resident Evil (2002), which I quite liked, and then the rest of the Resident Evil movies, which … yeah. The point is that I never paid much attention to her career outside of that franchise and maybe a couple of other bangers like The Fifth Element. She just wasn’t on my radar, so I probably missed out on a bunch of great films, like 2007’s .45, a straight-up crime thriller centered on a domestic abuse-fueled revenge arc carried out by Jovovich’s character.

It’s a lean thriller that has a lot going for it, but it isn’t without issues when it comes to structure and characterization. The chemistry between Milla Jovovich and Angus Macfadyen is reason enough to check this one out, but I’d be lying if I said the third act wasn’t frustrating as hell, which I’ll get into soon.

Couples That Sell Guns Together, Don’t Have Fun Together

.45 is the story of Kat’s (Milla Jovovich) volatile relationship with her small-time criminal boyfriend, Big Al (Angus Macfadyen). Big Al likes to think he calls all the shots, but Kat isn’t innocent in her willingness to move guns and other stolen wholesale items out of their New York City apartment. Always coming and going is Vic (Sara Strange), Kat’s ex-girlfriend, who never sticks around for long because Big Al is a loose cannon, and because she still has feelings for Kat that she’s trying to work through. One of Big Al’s frequent collaborators, Reilly (Stephen Dorff), is also in love with Kat and only continues to work with him so he can stay close to her.

Vic and Reilly both keep tabs on Kat and Big Al’s relationship because Big Al is incredibly territorial and abusive, both physically and emotionally, and they want to make sure she’s safe. It’s demonstrated pretty quickly that Kat isn’t safe at all after Big Al sees her interacting with Jose (Vincent Laresca), a rival criminal she’s secretly selling guns to on the side. Though Big Al doesn’t know about Kat’s side hustle, he completely flies off the handle when he sees her lighting Jose’s cigarette becuase he interprets it as her flirting with the man. The scenes that follow are not for the faint of heart, as they contain some brutally effective depictions of domestic abuse.

Trapped in an abusive relationship she’s afraid to leave out of fear for her life, Kat is approached by Liz (Aisha Tyler), a representative from a local battered women’s support group who also develops feelings for her. Clearly in distress over her living situation, Kat is afraid to make the changes she needs to make, prompting Vic, Reilly, and Liz to help her come up with a plan that will remove Big Al from her life once and for all.

The Most Difficult Parts To Watch Are The Best Performed

The real meat and potatoes of .45 is the dynamic between Big Al and Kat. Their relationship is beyond toxic, and neither of them are innocent. While they’re both criminals, Big Al is more often than not in the wrong, which becomes obvious through the way he treats his girlfriend. Kat loves to push buttons and antagonize people, especially Big Al, when she feels it’s warranted, but nobody deserves to have hands laid on them the way she does once Big Al starts to spiral. Everybody sees it but her. She’s so locked into this lifestyle that she has no idea what her next steps should be.

The abuse sequences are difficult to watch, to say the least, but they’re acted superbly. Kat is a strong woman struggling to break the cycle of abuse, and when things hit critical mass, you can see every conflicting emotion written across her face. She can either stick with the devil she knows or take her chances elsewhere, which could put her in even more danger if Big Al actually follows through on some of his more unhinged threats. Angus Macfadyen is also the perfect loose cannon, doing a superb job channeling that small-ball, “If another guy even looks at you, I’m going to kill you both” kind of energy.

Where .45 loses points, however, is its quasi-mockumentary setup, which strips the film of much of its suspense. Throughout the movie, we get testimonials told in hindsight from Kat, Reilly, Vic, Liz, and even Big Al’s mother, all discussing the relationship dynamic. This is almost always a bad move in a thriller, especially when half the tension comes from wondering whether somebody is going to get killed. Since they’re all talking about these events after the fact, it’s reasonable to assume they’ve already made it out of the situation that drives the central conflict.

Another aspect that rubbed me the wrong way is how fixated everybody is on Kat. They’re all crushing on her hard, talking about how much they love her and how badly they want to be with her. There is eventually a payoff to all of this, but the whole thing reminded me of that Frasier episode where Frasier’s ex-fiancée Diane, who left him at the altar during her Cheers days, shows up in Seattle after writing a play about their relationship in which every single character talks about how amazing she is. The supporting characters here often feel too one-dimensional to fully support an otherwise complex story about the toxic relationship connecting them all.

Still, .45 is an effective thriller about a criminal couple who can barely hold it together while everybody on the sidelines waits for one of them to get thrown in jail or killed. The strong chemistry and characterization between its two leads are reason enough to tune in, but don’t say I didn’t warn you about some of the supporting characters knocking the film down a couple of pegs.

As of this writing, you can stream .45 for free on Tubi.