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Drive-Away Dolls comes as the first feature-length narrative feature from Ethan Coen, one half of the acclaimed directing duo the Coen Brothers. While Joel already had his first solo film several years back with the well-received The Tragedy of Macbeth, Ethan’s only film had been a documentary about famous rocker Jerry Lee Lewis. Drive-Away Dolls is a crime caper in the vein of prior Coen Brothers titles, with snappy dialogue and quirky characters. And while the film does capture some of the energy and humor of a classic Coen feature, Ethan’s first solo film suffers from uneven writing that hampers the overall effort.
The storytelling style aims for mood more than narrative coherency. There is little in the way of an inciting incident or any sense of building momentum. Our leads Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Visawanthan) quickly find themselves driving a car meant for others and are pursued across the country by two goons who recall the dumb banter of movies like Fargo. But there is not much plot past that, as the movie leans into zaniness instead. The film oddly sets itself in the 1990s while constantly referring to 60s-style psychedelic imagery with odd intercuts whose purpose is opaque until the end of the film. It’s one of many narrative choices that feels a tad purposeless.
While the film can be fun, it feels ill thought-out. There seems to be a strain of sexual liberation, with the narrative following two lesbians and lots of aggressively sexual scenes and settings throughout the film. The MacGuffin in this film is a suitcase full of dildos. Yes, that’s a real sentence. There is also a multitude of references to Henry James, though again, the actual point of this seems a little confused. There’s also a romantic connection that forms between the leads, but all of it is so underwritten that this more of a guess than anything that the film definitively communicates.
Despite the narrative issues and a lack of well structured character arcs, Drive-Away Dolls does maintain manic energy throughout. Qualley’s lead performance is quite amusing and forms a nice contrast with Visawanthan’s quieter character. Colman Domingo and Beanie Feldstein have smaller roles, though are both quite amusing. There’s also a multitude of fun cameos, though the roles are so small that they don’t make much of an impression.
The film also sits at under 90 minutes, a smart choice for a movie that has so little going on narratively. It’s one of the smarter directing decisions from Ethan. Despite its strong visuals, including a variety of creative transitions, Drive-Away Dolls very much feels like a half-baked idea. On his own, Ethan’s instincts as a writer and director aren’t quite there. Granted, this is only one film, so here’s hoping Ethan improves with his next one, or just reunites with Joel.
