Movie Review: "Drive-Away Dolls"

A Talented Cast and Legendary Director Can't Save This Cinematic Misfire

Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan in “Drive-Away Dolls.” © Focus Features.

I wanted to like “Drive-Away Dolls.” I am a Coen brothers fan (the Coen Brothers are working separately for the time being, and the movie was written by Ethan Coen and his wife Tricia Cooke) and an admirer of both Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan, the actors who portray the titular “Dolls.” Sadly, this screwball-comedy-road-movie-MacGuffin-chase tries too hard to do too much.

©©C.J. Wilson, Colman Domingo, and Joey Slotnik in Drive-Away Dolls. © Focus Features

The action follows Jamie and Marian (Qualley and Viswanathan) as they sex romp through a lesbian demi-monde in a Dodge Aries hiding a mysterious briefcase. They are pursued by three blundering thugs (Colman Domingo, C.J Wilson and Joey Slotnick) who, unfortunately, demonstrate more chemistry than our protagonists.

It’s the script, really. In an early scene Jamie tells Marian they will stop by Jamie’s apartment on the way out of town, assuring Marian that her ex-lover Sukie (Beanie Feldstein) “won’t even be home;” jump to a “Gilligan cut” featuring the jilted, weeping Sukie spitefully removing a dildo from the apartment wall.

The louche, absurd plot is stuffed with angled shots, animated scene breaks, and psychedelic interludes. Miley Cyrus, Matt Damon, and Pedro Pascal provide amusing cameos, but it’s no use. The scattered plot and awkward dialogue just keeps misfiring. Like an unctuous host at a boring party, “Drive-Away Dolls” makes us cringe as it demands “isn’t this fun?”

There are some good moments. Joey Slotnik and C.J. Wilson’s bickering is genuinely funny, and a dream sequence featuring Marian’s childhood sexual awakening scored by Linda Ronstadt’s “Blue Bayou” is sweet and lovely.

Sadly, a talented cast and accomplished director just aren’t enough to bring “Drive-Away Dolls” to life.