‘Drive-Away Dolls’ Review: A Joyride from Start to Finish

From mysterious briefcases to strong female cops with yapping dogs to curmudgeonly clerks, Ethan Coen includes all the greatest hits in “Drive-Away Dolls.” The Coen brothers — Ethan and Joel — have a penchant for blending juvenile plot and intellectual humor; for every joke about laissez-faire economics, there is a dildo joke not far behind.

However,“Drive-Away Dolls” isn’t technically a Coen brothers production. Instead, the movie is the product of one of the brothers, Ethan, and his wife, Tricia Cooke. In an interview with Seth Meyers, actress Beanie Feldstein commented that the script had a “comedic, funny action, quirky, raunchy tone” that the Coens are most well known for.

“But then Tricia brought this super, like, queer female empowerment side to it,” said Feldstein in the same interview on “Late Night with Seth Meyers.” As a result, “Drive-Away Dolls” is the most fresh and exciting film to be put forth by either Coen brother in over a decade.

The plot follows Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) on the latter’s coming-of-age road trip to visit her Aunt Ellis (Connie Jackson) in Tallahassee. Jamie — getting over a bad breakup — takes charge of the trip, stopping at several lesbian dive bars, a chain pizza place, an upscale hotel, and a high school soccer team’s post-game celebration. Meanwhile, Jamie and Marian get roped into a bizarre, hilarious, and convoluted conspiracy involving important public figures and their inept cronies.

“Drive-Away Dolls” works best when it puts radically different characters in the same room and documents their ensuing interaction. Whether it is Marian crudely discussing sex in front of an upscale hotel waiter or Chief (Colman Domingo) arguing with old grump Curlie (Bill Camp) in a beat-down rental car agency, dichotomies are the driving force of the film’s comedy and broader message of acceptance.

The wacky characters typical for a Coen production and situations perfectly complement themes of being open to new things, going with the flow, and finding friends in unexpected places. Jamie and Marian, despite first appearing out of place, are treated with utmost hospitality by the hotel staff. On the other hand, nothing seems to go right for Chief or Curlie after they refuse to find common ground. Evidently, poetic justice reigns supreme in “Drive-Away Dolls.”

Not only is the story tight and meaningful, but the filmmaking has a zippy flair second to none. Like a mad scientist, Coen stuffs “Drive-Away Dolls” with psychedelic cutaways, cartoonish transitions, and wacky sound effects at every turn. When a character gets sideswiped by another character, the entire frame flies off-screen and into the next scene. When a character tells an unfunny joke, chirping crickets are sure to accompany it. Watching Coen’s “Drive-Away Dolls” is like watching a precocious twelve-year-old learning to use Microsoft PowerPoint for the first time; the film exudes youthful energy and inventiveness rare for a director of Coen’s age.

The humorously complicated and contrived plot ultimately works because of its quirkiness, which shares key exposition and characterization without letting any beat drag for too long. Senator Channel (Matt Damon) is introduced in a wholesome billboard exemplifying traditional conservative values and several scenes later depicted in a steamy flashback with his high school girlfriend (Miley Cyrus). Likewise, Marian’s first brush with lesbianism is shown in a slow-motion flashback as she jumps up and down on a trampoline to get a better look at her naked, sunbathing neighbor.

Innovative cinematography and editing showcase the absurdity of events as they unfold before the characters’ eyes. For example, Coen employs the zoom-in scream — usually reserved for B-movie horror films — on more than one occasion, spotlighting characters as they are confronted with increasingly ridiculous situations. Kitschy filmmaking seems to be Coen’s way of nodding to the audience, asking them to play along.

If interesting visual storytelling isn’t enough, every actor in “Drive-Away Dolls” is perfectly cast, from the most minor characters to the two road-tripping protagonists. Qualley plays the fun-loving free spirit, while Viswanthan is the reserved pragmatist. Both actresses manage to make their verbose digressions and arguments seem true to character.

Minor characters are what often define Coen pictures, and “Drive-Away Dolls” is no exception. Some of the most memorable characters are the four middle-aged guys with big guts and big personalities: Curlie, the desk clerk (Braxton McCollum), the hotel waiter (Daniel Kirkman), and the poolside husband (Michael Worden). With body language alone, each actor embodies their characters before a single line of Coen dialogue has been uttered.

“Drive-Away Dolls” is a thoughtfully constructed film with a unique sense of direction. It is a road trip that outdoes itself again and again without ever running out of gas.

—Staff writer Joseph A. Johnson can be reached at joseph.johnson@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @onlyjoejohnson or on Threads @officialjoeyj.