Drive-Away Dolls (2024) is directed by Ethan Coen and stars Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Joey Slotnick, C.J. Wison, Colman Domingo, Bill Camp, Matt Damon, and Pedro Pascal. The film follows the free-spirited Jamie (Qualley) and the uptight Marian (Viswanathan), two lesbian friends who find themselves in a dangerous situation when they discover the car that they rented for their trip to Tallahassee contains a mysterious package. Determined to obtain the package for their employer, two violent goons (Slotnick & Wilson) follow hot on their trail. Along the way, the girls teach each other lessons about life, love, friendship, and the experience of being a lesbian at the turn of the century.

One of the film’s strongest aspects is the performances by a majority of the cast. However, the standout is easily Margaret Qualley as Jamie. She brings so much energy to her role and acts as the film’s heart and soul. She incorporates a thick Texan accent that could have easily felt like a caricature, but instead perfectly fits the film’s goofy tone. And even though she’s an extremely confident character, we occasionally see her vulnerable side, making her likable even when she becomes occasionally overbearing. 

Viswanathan essentially plays the more serious and annoyed foil to Jamie. By design, it’s not as memorable of a character, but Viswanathan plays the role to perfection. What works about the character is that she’s able to provide a good bit of comedy simply through her reactions to all the zany characters that surround her. Her side-eyed looks are just so visually effective that one can’t help but chuckle. In such a crazy film, it’s almost a requirement to feature a character like this. It keeps us somewhat grounded in reality no matter how wild the plot becomes. 

Slotnick and Wilson as the two bickering henchmen are a good time. They’re a clear callback to Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare in Joel & Ethan Coen’s Fargo (1996). Although these are fun characters to rehash, it still feels a bit unoriginal/lazy. Colman Domingo as the film’s antagonist is serviceable. He finds a nice balance between menacing and silly which fits the film well. 

Do you know how I said Margaret Qualley is easily the film’s standout performance? Well, Beanie Feldstein’s performance as Sukie, Jamie’s ex-girlfriend, is a close second. She provides the film with a majority of its best comedic moments. She’s a cop who is the prime example of emotional instability after her break-up with Jamie. It’s just fun to see a female take on the role of the eternally angry cop character. Insecurity flows through her and it couldn’t be more entertaining.

The last supporting role that I want to point out is Bill Camp as Curlie. He plays the owner of the shop where the girls rent their car. As seen in the trailer, he plays the role with deadpan perfection. The character couldn’t be more serious and by doing so is endlessly hilarious.

Although the film presents itself as a comedy, it’s not as laugh-out-loud funny as one would desire. I would say the tone is more “goofy” as opposed to “funny.” The film is filled with elements such as cartoonish physicality, skewed camera angles, and psychedelic transitions between scenes. It helps to achieve the film’s clear goal of having fun. The film isn’t serious in the sense that it’s trying to convey a complex theme/message, it just wants to take us along for the ride. This level of fun is elevated if the viewer has a certain familiarity with the Coen Brothers’ filmography. There are countless callbacks to their films, and although this is fun for a Coen Brothers fan, it does feel a bit like it lacks originality at points. It is interesting because I feel as if this film’s comedy is on par with other Coen brother’s films, but it didn’t make me laugh as effectively. I think this is because the film, for the most part, lacks a dark edge. When comedy is simply there to break the tension, the bar is a lot lower for what will make a person laugh. Sometimes the audience just laughs because things aren’t so serious for a short moment. When the film presents itself as a comedy, we expect the laughs to really make us laugh. Making someone laugh when they’re not expecting it is a lot easier than when they do.     

The film runs a quick 84 minutes and there’s rarely a wasted scene. The only aspect I felt was missing was a bit more development of the eventual romance between the leads. It slightly came across as “Well, we’re two lesbians on a road trip. We almost have to get together.” That being said, these characters are impressively built in such a short runtime. It’s extremely well-edited. What truly impressed me was the film’s ability to merge the tastes of two seemingly unlike audiences. Coen’s directorial trademarks plus a goofy lesbian road trip did not sound like it would fit well on paper, but I couldn’t have been more wrong. If you’re into lesbian stories but not Coen films, this will work. If you’re into Coen films, but not lesbian comedies, this will work. If you’re into both, just guess how you’ll feel about it. 

Overall, this is a goofy, sexually charged, romantic comedy-thriller that was much more enjoyable than I was expecting. It just proves that great direction, performance, and writing can make any kind of story work for any audience. Unfortunately, the film does feel like a knockoff version of a film that the Coen brothers would have directed together. The film may not be for everyone, especially not the bigots of the world, but I had a pretty good time. B