Ever since the Coen Brothers started making films separately, it’s been interesting to see their distinct visions. Joel Coen’s eye for aesthetics, characters, and storytelling elevated his adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth and Ethan Coen reinvigorated the story of singer-songwriter Jerry Lee Lewis for his documentary on the artist, Troubled in Mind. Now, Ethan delivers the first original film from a singular Coen Brother, Drive-Away Dolls, and it’s an unfortunate misfire.
The film is a road trip sex-comedy that follows lesbian cohorts Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) as they head to Tallahassee, Florida together to escape their romantic woes. Unfortunately, the car they rent contains a mysterious briefcase and a horrifying secret that makes them the targets of mobsters. Now, Jamie and Marian must try to dodge the danger that’s pursuing them while still finding time to get laid.
Although Qualley and Viswanathan are undeniable talents, they can’t elevate their respective characters out of the extremes they represent. Jamie is a lustful free spirit who basically only has sex on the mind. Pretty much all her lines and antics revolve around getting laid or trying to add her own brand of fun to the road trip. While her energy is appreciated, her shock and humor value dry up quickly. Given how sex-driven and graphic this movie is right from the second scene, the film completely overplays its hand when it comes to sex jokes and wild situations. So, for Jamie, her schtick gets old really quick and you’re burnt out on her raunchiness before these two even hit the road.
As for Marian, well, she’s lifeless as a character. Her first scenes establish her as a genuine stick in the mud and for most of the film, she’s the buzzkill to Jamie’s ambitions. She’s more interested in her book than anything happening around her and it’s genuinely hard to connect with her at any point. Now, this difference between Jamie and Marian could’ve been an incredibly funny aspect of the film—especially since they’re stuck together on the road.
However, this conflict in personalities isn’t played up well at all and the jokes centered on these moralistic differences completely fall flat. There’s never a moment where these two “meet in the middle” in a meaningful or relatable way and there’s such little depth to their personas and history together that you wonder why they are friends at all. The lack of strong storytelling for Jamie and Marian also makes their evolving connection past the friendzone incredibly confusing and unearned. Qualley and Viswanathan try their best to bring something interesting out of these characters, but it comes to no avail, and they aren’t helped by the fact that this film doesn’t utilize its pieces or genres well at all.
Now, the comedy in the Coen Brothers’ films isn’t for everyone. Often, it’s a hit or miss element for wider audiences. However, it’s tough to figure out who would really find Drive-Away Dolls funny since its hilarity never hits. The film’s tone is so deadpan that funny lines aren’t really allowed to be uplifted in any way for audiences to enjoy. The interactions aren’t taken advantage of to create good running gags or hilarious banter. Frankly, despite boasting a very solid cast, no one is used effectively whatsoever. Beanie Feldstein is criminally held back from being a bombastic force and you’ll leave the theater wondering why Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon even show up. There are a couple of funny reveals—especially with what’s actually in the briefcase—but overall, Drive-Away Dolls isn’t as funny as it should be.
Sadly, a big reason why the film doesn’t live up to its comedic marks is because it has clearly been gutted somewhere in the creation process. For a film directed by someone as established as Ethan Coen, Drive-Away Dolls feels marred by behind-the-scenes meddling because it’s missing so much story. Despite Jamie and Marian going on this big road trip adventure, we barely see them stop at any fun places that result in messy situations or hilarious moments. The caper mystery is completely undercooked, and the film takes way too long to get Jamie and Marian to understand what’s sitting in the trunk. Plus, the characters outside of Jamie and Marian are super thin in terms of their personalities and stakes in the story.
Even worse, what the film lacks in story content and good genre homages, it tries to make up for with strange artistic choices that completely backfire. There are these wacky transitions that are an absolute eye-sore and a secondary storyline that doesn’t work as intended. Throughout the film, there’s this psychedelic plot that’s built during certain transitions that’s meant to connect with a future unveiling in the overarching mystery behind the briefcase. While the concept is interesting, the execution is awful because these scenes are carelessly thrown in—which weakens the eventual reveal. So, there are these constant distractions from the film that take you out of the moment and, worst of all, make what should be a breezy sub-90-minute runtime feel like an agonizing eternity.
Drive-Away Dolls is a bafflingly bad entry for Coen Brothers film lore. It woefully misses the mark in delivering fun genre thrills or laughs and is devoid of meaty storytelling—which is a weird thing to say for a film directed by a Coen.
One of the worse movies I’ve ever seen. Not funny, plot didn’t have a solid point and Jamie’s accent was cringe.