Drive-Away Dolls (2024)

Ethan Coen’s solo directorial debut, Drive-Away Dolls, sets off on a promising premise. Two friends, Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), ditch their dead-end lives for a spontaneous road trip to Florida. Buckle up for laughs, right? Well, not exactly. 

The film throws in a random assortment of elements—a mysterious suitcase in the trunk, bumbling criminals hot on their heels, and trippy, psychedelic flashbacks—that never quite coalesce. It feels like Coen, known for his quirky Coen brothers’ comedies, is reaching for that signature style but misses the mark. 

Sure, there are moments of amusement. Viswanathan delivers a dry, sarcastic wit that lands occasionally. But Qualley’s Jamie often leans towards obnoxiousness, with her constant sexual innuendos feeling forced and tiresome. The banter between the two can be funny, but it gets repetitive quickly, relying on the same types of jokes over and over. 

The plot itself is a mess. Things happen for seemingly no reason, and the bumbling criminals chasing the girls are more of an annoyance than a source of tension. The aforementioned flashbacks, while visually interesting, feel completely disconnected from the main narrative. 

Technically, the film is competent but uninspired. The cinematography captures the vast emptiness of the American Southwest, but there’s a lack of visual flair or a distinct style. The editing is choppy at times, especially during the frenetic chase sequences, which come across as more confusing than thrilling. 

There’s a whiff of Thelma and Louise in the air, with two women taking control of their destinies. But Drive-Away Dolls lacks the thematic depth or emotional resonance of that classic.  The closest it gets to a message is a vague notion of female empowerment, but it feels more like a tagline than a well-developed theme.

Look, there’s something to be said for a wacky, offbeat road trip comedy. But Drive-Away Dolls” tries too hard to be everything at once and ends up being nothing in particular. The humour is uneven, the plot is nonsensical, and the characters are underdeveloped.  It’s not a complete disaster, but it’s a forgettable meander that left me wishing I’d taken a different cinematic road trip altogether.

(In cinemas — check your local movie guide for show times.)