Ethan Coen’s solo fictional directorial debut Drive-Away Dolls is an end-to-end comedy, a road film about two twenty-something lesbians unwittingly ensnared in someone else’s caper, dodging a couple of criminals while growing as people.
Margaret Qualley is Jamie, a free spirit of uncertain employment who we meet while she’s stepping out on her partner, police officer Sukie (Beanie Feldstein). Geraldine Viswanathan is her upright and uptight friend Marian, who works an ambiguous office job where she’s tired of her coworkers as well as the big city (Philadelphia in 1999). After Sukie catches Jamie cheating, gives her a black eye at a bar, and kicks her out of their shared apartment, Jamie tags along on Marian’s road trip to visit her aunt in Tallahassee using Curlie’s (Bill Camp) driveaway service. Their journey of self-discovery is eventually impacted by two goons (Joey Slotnick as Arliss and C.J. Wilson as Flint) working for The Chief (Colman Domingo), who are on their trail to recover some sensitive objects hidden in the car.
Jamie is confident, bordering delusional, with a combination of determination and enthusiasm that in a different movie might prove to be a façade papering over insecurities; here, she’s the genuine article. Her wardrobe and attitude, not to mention Qualley’s put-on but consistent Texan accent, give the impression of a cowboy. All she’s missing is a black hat and a cigar, or a brown hat and a reed between her teeth. Is she Hondo or Tom Sawyer? Meanwhile, Marian is deeply contemplative and quite annoyed with the inconsistencies of other people. A side-quest and underpinning motivation for the happily promiscuous Jamie is to help Marian break a coital dry spell which cyclically contributes to and exemplifies her general tight-woundedness.
Their pursuers serve as a foil, with some of their conversations about social interaction mirroring one another; Chief and Marian even share a literary interest. And yet, while Jamie and Marian have their issues and arguments, they love each other and build each other up while working through their trouble. Chief’s guys are comrades, but their contrasting approaches (Arliss more subtle and Flint more blunt) lead to a hilarious escalating conflict of angrier and angrier arguments.
Drive-Away Dolls is funny all the time. From physical comedy highlighting character traits (an early peak sees Sukie handily and thoroughly battering Flint while carrying on a conversation with the much more polite Arliss) to mannerisms and idiosyncrasies (Curlie especially), as well as comedic scene transitions (like one frame bouncing onto another) complimented by the musical cues—it’s all well-constructed. The comportment of the characters, the things they do and say to each other, give the characters dimensions and history. There is a goofiness of circumstance, fools and jesters brought together because of their employment and other people’s decisions. It’s never stiff or stuffy, but often very smart.
The dialogue is terrific (written by Coen and his wife/frequent editor Tricia Cooke) at distinguishing the personalities of each character, big and small, making them feel like real (sometimes real odd) people rather than just archetypes (and every archetype presented is fleshed out for maximum value). The odd-couple dynamics between Jamie and Marian in one car (and several hotel rooms) contrasts with those of Arliss and Flint as they are followed through the same spaces and meet with the same bit players. Drive-Away Dolls is a movie broadly about relationships—primarily friendships and lesbian romances—but is also, in its moment-to-moment execution, about human beings relating to one another, trying to understand one another.
On top of that, Drive-Away Dolls is a sometimes tender, sometimes thrilling, tightly-paced comedy that, despite clocking in at under 90 minutes, feels downright luxuriant at times. It never feels compressed or cramped, even though a lot takes place. The picture dips into dreamscapes and psychedelia for the sake of both fleshing out characters and giving hints about the plot—economical storytelling that is visually engaging and, in the case of some of the psychedelic sequences, intentionally hypnotic. These sequences are disruptive after a fashion, but add to our immersion rather than breaking it. It feels whimsical, or almost experimental, at first and deft and vital in the end.
Underpinning the success of the writing and performances are vibrant sound design and joyous editing that is frequently playful but never wasteful. Alongside the psychedelic FX and the dream sequences that tell us about Marian’s childhood, Drive-Away Dolls is just fun to look at. The lighting, sound and music establish the film’s tone early—making humorous work of dark, deadly and deeply emotional experiences—and its aesthetic continues to play in those spaces throughout the film.
With Drive-Away Dolls, Tricia Cooke and Ethan Coen channel their influences and experiences into a tight, satisfying, humorous road movie. A knowing and humorous tone never loses its flair, with an artistic touch and commitment that makes you buy into the jokes in the first place. It is a refreshing comical experience threading together the absurd and the authentic.
Director: Ethan Coen
Writer: Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Vaswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, Matt Damon
Release Date: February 23, 2024
Kevin Fox Jr. loves history, videogames, film, TV, and sports. He dreams of liberation and is always seeking recommendations for his endless backlog and reading list. He can be found on Twitter @polycarbonfox or at PC Vulpes.