Drive-Away Dolls

February 20th, 2024

MOVIE: DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS

STARRING: MARGARET QUALLEY, GERALDINE VISWANATHAN, BEANIE FELDSTEIN, COLMAN DOMINGO, BILL CAMP, MATT DAMON

DIRECTED BY: ETHAN COEN

AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 STARS (Out of 4)

When the Coen brothers had their creative split it felt like all of cinema was impacted. Joel Coen had gone his way by making The Tragedy of McBeth with Denzel Washington, a project that was both bold and unique. But what about Ethan? What was he going to do? That answer is Drive-Away Dolls, which if there was ever a question as to who the true goofball was of the two brothers, we have our answer here. This is a road trip caper, a hostage situation, and a political satire. While it is all of those things it is also incredibly strange, often funny, and wildly risky. It may be all over the road but Drive-Away Dolls takes us to a new comedy destination.

The year is 1999, we meet the southern-tongued Jamie (Margaret Qualley), as she performs oral sex on a woman in her bed, only it’s not her girlfriend Sukie (Beanie Feldstein). Her friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) is a bit more buttoned up, not as sexually free, but certainly looking for a way to let herself go. The two meet at the local Lesbian bar, where it accidentally gets out that Jamie has been sleeping around, putting an end to her relationship, and setting in motion that she should join Jamie on her trip to Florida to see her grandma. Seems like a simple getaway but in a Coen brother universe, nothing is predictable.

I wouldn’t say Drive-Away Dolls is for everyone. As always, the comedy is subjective, but what could never be claimed is that it’s boring or unoriginal. At a lightning-fast 84 minutes, the screenplay by Coen and Tricia Cooke has the unique pair of Qualley and Viswanathan bringing us on the ride. The two make a witty, yet unlikely pair, as a couple of lesbians on the road, taking a rental car that has a briefcase and a severed head in the trunk. This puts them in the crosshairs of a group of mobsters working for Senator Gary Channel (Matt Damon), with Colman Domingo as the chief and his two doofus goons Flint (C.J. Wilson) and Arliss (Joey Slotnick). The goal is to get these items back but of course, Jamie and Marian are going on their sexual journey.

In between the road trip and the goons on their search is just the hilarious character development and oddball humor. It becomes obvious that the themes, world-building, and various personalities are in line with many of the other Coen comedies. Films such as The Big Lebowski, Intolerable Cruelty, Burn After Reading, and O Brother, Where Art Thou? all come to mind, especially Qualley is doing her riff on the often George Clooney bumbling fool. Even if all the jokes, bits, and out-of-left-field comedy won’t land for you, it certainly feels good to see this kind of humor again, which is unabashedly sexual, and displays the kind of jokes happening during the Y2K time that still resonates today.

Drive-Away Dolls is ultimately this perfect-fitting comedy. If you get anything out of it, there is a hilarious character named Curley- played by the always great Bill Camp- who can once again be added to the list of great Coen brother characters. It all fits together. It’s a bit over the top, a bit too slight, and just simple enough to be worth our time. It also feels like a film where Coen challenged himself to see if he could make a comedy during a time when there’s not much to laugh about. Drive-Away Dolls is certainly a ride that is worth taking.

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS IS IN THEATERS FRIDAY FEBRUARY 23RD, 2024.

3 STARS

Written by: Leo Brady
leo@amovieguy.com