The Coen Brothers—Ethan and Joel respectively—are a staple of Hollywood, known for their off-beat and often absurd films. Recently though, the pair have taken a break from each other and started working on separate projects. For Joel, this meant “The Tragedy of Macbeth,” a confusing and gruesomely dark reimagining of the Shakespeare play. For Ethan, it meant a lesbian road trip action movie comedy.
“Drive-Away Dolls” is certainly a weird movie, if not good fun. Starring Margaret Qualley doing a Southern accent and Geraldine Viswanathan in a 90s power suit as two unlikely friends that get tied up in a very unlikely situation. Some well-known stars are haphazardly thrown into the film (Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon, and Miley Cyrus), and without contributing to the plot, lead the audience into thinking maybe they were simply cast to show off that Coen knows people in Hollywood.
Despite not working with his brother, Coen instead had help from his wife Tricia Cooke, who co-wrote and edited the movie. Cooke’s involvement undoubtedly gave “Drive-Away Dolls” a lighter feeling, and it would feel shallow without her. That being said, the editing throughout the movie is at worst jarring and at best clunky. Although not completely out of amid the already insane situations and eccentric humor, the editing just feels weird. Entire scene transitions seem to take up hours at times, and even though they were sometimes funny, they quickly became annoying.
The editing coupled with random psychedelic interjections graced “Drive-Away Dolls” with an off-kilter tone that it wasn’t able to shake off throughout all eighty minutes of its run time. However, it still managed to be incredibly funny, especially to a teenage audience. If it had come out a few months later, at the height of summer perhaps, the timing would have been a bit better; it definitely has the feel of a summer cult classic.
Regardless of its issues, “Drive-Away Dolls” proves to be enjoyable and at times, downright hilarious. It knows it’s a B-rated movie, but that just adds to the fun. Reminiscent of the eras of “Bill and Ted,” “Snakes on a Plane,” and “The Rocky Horror Picture Show,” “Drive-Away Dolls” chooses to simply embrace the chaos and makes a campy and enjoyable romp that serves little purpose beyond eighty minutes of a good time.
Qualley and Viswanathan as Jamie and Marian have solid chemistry with each other, and their friendship is realistic and believable. Qualley’s accent isn’t distracting, and although tedious at times, Viswanathan’s uptightness manages to ground the movie in ways where it is otherwise lacking.
Really the best time to watch “Dive-Away Dolls” would be on a lazy July evening with good friends and bucket-loads of popcorn.
