Drive-Away Dolls: A Wild Ride of Self-Discovery and Mob Mayhem
For Jamie (Margaret Qualley), another relationship has just imploded. Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), on the other hand, hasn’t had a relationship in three years. As different as these two women are, they share a common feeling: they’re tired of themselves and their lives. So, on one particularly awful evening, they decide they need, at the very least, a vacation, and at most, a complete reset. Their solution? Contacting a car relocation service and driving from Philadelphia to Tallahassee. Thus begins a 1,500-kilometer road trip south. But little do they know, their trunk contains a severed head and another valuable item, far more significant than the car they’re transporting. A clerical error by an office worker (Bill Camp), who entrusted the wrong people with the vehicle, combined with Jamie and Marian’s impulsive natures, sets the local mafia on their trail, desperate to recover both the head and the mysterious cargo – at any cost.
Margaret Qualley as Jamie in a still from “Drive-Away Dolls”
The Coen Brothers’ Legacy: Separate Paths, Shared Sensibilities
It’s become a common observation that since the Coen brothers started working independently, it’s clear who was responsible for the gravitas of “No Country for Old Men” and “True Grit,” and who was behind the quirky humor of “The Big Lebowski” and “Burn After Reading.” Indeed, Joel’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth” revealed him as a fiercely serious tragedian, while Ethan’s “Drive-Away Dolls” showcases his comedic sensibilities, pushing the boundaries of good taste. Both seem eager to pursue projects that felt impossible within their collaborative dynamic. The irony, however, lies in the fact that Ethan’s latest film is about two close but very different people who are better together than apart. Speculation that Jamie and Marian represent Joel and Ethan themselves is likely another common observation.
Beanie Feldstein as Sukie in a still from “Drive-Away Dolls”
Familiar Tropes, Fresh Humor
“Drive-Away Dolls” is, from start to finish, a collection of familiar tropes. Unlikely partners in crime team up to start a new life. A road movie through the American provinces, filled with absurd adventures at every stop – the further south they go, the funnier it gets. Ruthless pursuers, almost mirror images of the pursued, equally different, impulsive, and unlucky – only these are men, and their intentions are far from noble, promising nothing good. All of this has been done hundreds of times before, and the only thing that sets “Drive-Away Dolls” apart is the signature Coen humor. It’s not just present; it’s everywhere, in abundance, flooding everything around it. The legendary dildo scene from “Burn After Reading” expands into one of the main plot lines here. Where many other directors would have created another variation of “American Pie,” and the truly daring might even venture into blatant sexploitation, Ethan Coen, logically, delivers another Coen brothers film.
Pedro Pascal as Santos in a still from “Drive-Away Dolls”
A New Chapter for Ethan Coen
“Drive-Away Dolls” is unlikely to become a classic in Ethan Coen’s filmography, but it showcases the energy and unbridled spirit of an author backed into a corner, deciding to start anew. And that’s worth a lot, especially compared to the brothers’ last collaborative efforts – the nostalgic revue “Hail, Caesar!” or the masterful but ultimately stagnant “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.”
Ethan Coen is currently filming his next solo feature, again starring Margaret Qualley, again a b-movie. He promises a third, completing a full b-movie trilogy. Simultaneously, in an interview, the director stated that he is “slowly writing something” with his brother, meaning Ethan has plenty of ideas in at least a partially completed script stage, and it seems he’s found a second wind. “Drive-Away Dolls” is just the beginning of a new phase in the work of a brilliant director.