Drive-Away Dolls - Movie Review

The Movie: Drive-Away Dolls

The Director: Ethan Coen

The Cast: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Pedro Pascal, Colman Domingo, Bill Camp, Matt Damon

The Story: Jamie regrets her breakup with her girlfriend, while Marian needs to relax. In search of a fresh start, they embark on an unexpected road trip to Tallahassee. Things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals.

The Rating: 7 / 10

The Review:

Ethan Coen is a very prolific filmmaker with a true passion for the art form and that's always something that comes across in every movie he makes, Drive-Away Dolls being no exception. There are so many homages to other films throughout Hollywood's history and probably at least as many inside jokes that industry insiders will get a good laugh over and the whole thing is just a fun time.

Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan make a great pair on screen and their road trip adventures provide a great backdrop for their characters' friendship to grow and evolve. Both are quite funn in their own unique ways and the differences in their personalites and acting styles play off of each other really well. I'm not sure if I would want anyone else playing these very unique and distinct human beings.

The more I think about this movie, the more I realize how much I liked it and appreciate everything it was trying to accomplish. There are so many layers in the storytelling and not just the comedy, which of course there is plenty of, but Cohen and co-writer Tricia Cooke fill the extra lean one hour and 24 minutes run time with a lot to consider and discuss. There's a really fun mix of current topics, progressive storytelling, and nostagic movie making tropes.

There's more than a few classic road trip films, comedies, and buddy adventures that will come to mind while watching this movie and yet it still manages to stand on its own and claims its own existence in the modern movie landscape. You'll also have fun watching this crazy cast with appearances from Colman Domingo, Beanie Feldstein, and Matt Damon among others and you can really tell that everyone had a great time being a part of all the craziness.