Drive-Away Dolls – Review

Cert – 15, Run-time – 1 hour 24 minutes, Director – Ethan Coen

Escaping their lives for a road trip to Tallahassee, friends Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) are mistakenly given a car containing criminal belongings.

With the Coen Brothers having gone their separate ways, although it seems only briefly with a horror project seemingly in the line, it was revealed that Joel brought the John Lennon darkness (as seen in The Tragedy Of Macbeth) while Ethan brought Paul McCartney’s impish whimsy. The latter brother’s Drive-Away Dolls is reminiscent of the comedies the pair released throughout the 2000s, even bringing in certain stylings that call back to the films of that time.

Set in 1999 we follow the “modern 20th, soon-to-be-21st, century lesbian” friendship of Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) as they need to escape their lives and take an impromptu trip down to Tallahassee. However, while one wants to stop and see the sights of the lesbian bars along the way the other simply wants to get to the destination in their drive-away car by the agreed-upon next day. The reason for that date? Unknown to them, the car holds a briefcase containing mysterious criminal belongings meant to be delivered by a group (led by Colman Domingo, overseeing Joey Slotnick and CJ Wilson’s amusing, bickering goons) coincidentally scheduled to also go to Tallahassee.

As each party is setting out on the road the cuts between each one feel as if they’re trying to lead the film’s tone. Cartoonish sound effects mixed with edits that feel like someone just discovering the animation tab on PowerPoint bring a jolt finish to a number of very brief scenes – bringing to mind questions of why certain moments were even included in the first place. The way that the strands play out it feels at times as if we’re seeing two short films, the same events from different perspectives almost, with Jamie and Marian’s story in particular feeling as if it would actually make quite an enjoyable short. The gags may be somewhat hit or miss, with the hits largely gaining a mild exhale of amusement, but there are still some good ones here and there – and as a comedy this thankfully sticks to under 90 minutes.

As things develop and the two stories begin to interact more, and feel more direct as the flashy cuts are toned down and made less frequent, things begin to feel more a whole. There’s a better overall pacing, and more likably nature to the events as they pan out. Qualley and Viswanathan are certainly enjoyable in their roles and help to bring out some of the funnier moments in a narrative with some increasingly bizarre twists and details, it just never feels as if the film has the fast pace it perhaps needs to keep up with them and the more dialled-up caper it’s perhaps going for but never quite reaches despite its efforts.

Instead what we have is a somewhat bumpy ride, but one that gets smoother as it goes on. There are some enjoyable moments and an overall likable nature to Drive-Away Dolls but it feels as if it never fully embraces itself or what it’s offering leading to a number of scenes feeling like very brief filler for two related short films preventing the feature from reaching the pace it seems to be aiming for to match the absurdity of certain situations it brings up as part of its narrative. But, overall there’s enough within Ethan Coen’s solo directorial effort – co-written with wife, and editor, Tricia Cooke – to make for a road trip which manages to get itself from A to B with a couple of stops along the way.

While it might not be as fast paced it perhaps wants to be when Drive-Away Dolls clicks and works there’s enough to like and be amused by the help things along, particularly as things come together more and prevent brief scenes of filler.