Drive-Away Dolls [Review]
Ethan Coen’s new film Drive-Away Dolls is a refreshing revival of the screwball comedy
Geraldine Viswanathan as "Marian" and Margaret Qualley as "Jamie." Image credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features
Drive-Away Dolls was co-written by Ethan Coen along with his wife and frequent collaborator Tricia Cook. I loved Joel Coen’s solo work with The Tragedy of Macbeth, and I’m always excited by any new Coen work, so I was eager to see Drive-Away Dolls and how Ethan Coen’s own solo effort would be. It turns out Ethan decided to make something not anywhere near as serious as his brother.
Our protagonists are a pair of queer women: free spirit Jamie (Margaret Qualley) went through an ugly breakup with her girlfriend while uptight Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) wants to make a change in her life. The two best friends agree to take a roadtrip to Tallahassee to visit Marian’s aunt and get a fresh start. Short on money, they decide to take a drive-away—it just so happens that Curlie (Bill Camp) has a car that needs to be delivered to Tallahassee. In a case of mistaken identity, Curlie thinks the ladies were sent to pick up the car when it was actually reserved by The Chief (Colman Domingo) for a pair of Goons (Joey Slotnick and CJ Wilson) who need to deliver a mysterious item that’s in the trunk. Jamie and Marian hit the road, unaware that they’re now being chased by criminals.
Colman Domingo (center) as "The Chief", C.J. Wilson and Joey Slotnick as "The Goons.” Image credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features
The film was originally written to be a Coen brothers film and it shows. Drive-Away Dolls plays out like a Coen comedy greatest hits covering the brothers’ usual tropes; it reminded me of Raising Arizona and Burn After Reading, while adding some external inspiration from Robert Aldrich’s Kiss Me Deadly with a Macguffin you won’t soon forget. It’s a madcap crime caper, a screwball comedy, a sex comedy, and a road movie—the latter two of these are new genres for Ethan Coen. All of this is filtered through a queer lens, also new ground for Ethan Coen with the help of co-writer Tricia Cook, that adds to the uniqueness of the movie. It’s just a little bit disappointing that Ethan didn’t step out of his comfort zone compared to Joel with The Tragedy of Macbeth.
The film is way raunchier than what I expected based on the trailer. Still, it’s very, very funny, with its tone cemented in its opening minutes. A man, played by a game Pedro Pascal, is at a bar to deliver a briefcase and when the handoff goes bad, he’s murdered in a gruesome but cartoonishly over-the-top scene. Right from the gate, the film telegraphs what you can expect. Every supporting character is an exaggerated caricature in a heightened, absurd way. Most notable are Beanie Feldstein as Sukie, a cop with anger issues and Jamie’s ex-girlfriend, along with Joey Slotnick and CJ Wilson playing the bickering, inept henchmen chasing down our protagonists.
Beanie Feldstein as "Sukie." Image credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features
Along with the absurdity of the movie’s situations, the dialogue and jokes are sharp and fast in true screwball fashion. Charming leads Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan nail delivery and performance as they play a clashing couple thats fit the screwball comedy protagonist archetypes to a tee. Cleverly, Joey Slotnick’s and CJ Wilson’s criminal stooges, also on the road, are a screwball couple in their own way and serve as a contrasting foil to our heroes.
The film moves along at a good clip. Unfortunately, the it sometimes grinds to a halt with psychedelic transitional interludes that interrupt the movie a few times. Eventually we discover the significance of these scenes, but I was left wondering if they could have been handled in a different, less abstract way that isn’t such a distraction. I’m also mixed on several animated wipe transitions that were a bit forced. If their intent was to heighten the comedy and absurdity, they weren’t necessary.
Pedro Pascal as "The Collector." Image credit: Wilson Webb / Working Title / Focus Features
Drive-Away Dolls is a treat. It fits into several genres, but we don’t really get screwball comedies anymore and I appreciate that it’s such a great example of one. Maybe don’t take the kids to this one, but if you’re a Coen fan you won’t be disappointed.
Drive-Away Dolls premieres only in theaters on February 23.
