Joel and Ethan Coen, after decades of working together, have split off in recent years and worked on separate films. Joel’s first solo feature, 2021’s The Tragedy of Macbeth, was a decent, arty Shakespeare adaptation with a prestigious cast, but it didn’t feel especially like a Coen brothers movie. Now, Ethan’s out with his feature directorial debut, Drive-Away Dolls, which he co-wrote with his wife, Tricia Cooke (Ethan did direct a 2022 documentary about Jerry Lee Lewis). It’s a complete triumph, hilarious, and successfully makes use of a pair of the best indie movie actresses of recent years. And it’s like a vintage Coen brothers film.
It lifts a lot of familiar Coen plot elements: A pair of criminal henchmen who bicker during long car rides (Fargo), a long, shaggy-dog journey (O Brother Where Art Thou), a horny character trying to spy on a naked, sunbathing neighbor (A Serious Man), an oddly specific period setting in the 1990s (The Big Lebowski), surprising appearances of dildos (Burn After Reading) and novice criminals going toe-to-toe with more experienced ones (all of them, essentially.) It also borrows from Fargo tributes to Minnesota ephemera, in the form of a famous local news video of a sex toy hanging out of a cardboard box. But it’s more than just the plot. Drive-Away Dolls features fantastic dialogue and banter.
The film’s set in 1999, on the eve of Y2K, and begins with a violent crime in a bar. It then shifts focus to a group of lesbian friends in Philadelphia, led by flirty Texas transplant Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and shy and uptight Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan). Beanie Feldstein rounds out the trio as an angry Philly cop. With Jamie coming off a breakup, she brings Marian along on a road trip to Florida to drop off a car, with Jamie hoping to get her friend to come out of her shell and maybe get herself laid.
But the car turns out to have cargo that belongs to criminals, who soon embark on a low-speed chase down the Eastern seaboard. It’s Joey Slotnick and C.J. Wilson as the Buscemi and Stormare of the piece, while Oscar nominee Colman Domingo wears a sharp suit as their boss.
As for what that cargo is? It’s too funny to spoil. There’s also some intrigue involving politicians and embarrassing secrets. The crime and political subplots aren’t that interesting, and a related series of vignettes, featuring Miley Cyrus as a dancing hippie, are filler. The crime part peters out without a satisfying resolution. But the true delight here is the two lead actresses and their chemistry. Qualley has been wonderful in lots of movies and shows, including Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, the Netflix series Maid, and last year’s outstanding erotic thriller Sanctuary. But this part, as a sexually forward Southern lady who calls everyone “Sugar Sweet,” is her best.
Viswanathan broke through in 2018’s Blockers and was equally good in 2020’s little-seen The Broken Hearts Gallery (within just a few weeks, all three teen stars of Blockers have new movies, in which they play different varieties of horny). This part is trickier but does great at nailing something particular.
The Coens’ movies have had gay characters before, but Drive-Away Dolls has a queer sensibility that’s new for the work of either brother. The film was originally called Drive-Away Dykes, and that title appears in the closing credits. Joel and Ethan are reportedly getting back together to make a horror film, but not until after Ethan makes another solo movie, called Honey Don’t, to star Qualley along with Chris Evans and Aubrey Plaza. Judging by Drive-Away Dolls, I’m not sure which of those two movies I’m looking forward to more.