Film Review: "Drive-Away Dolls" is Just Good Enough
The queer caper, directed by Ethan Coen, is a frivolous, but enjoyable, film in the mold of the madcap adventures he created with his brother.
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Warning: Full spoilers for the film follow.
I’ve long been a fan of the Coen Brothers, ever since I saw O Brother, Where Art Thou? In undergrad, and my affection was reinforced by my subsequent viewings of films like No Country for Old Men and Fargo. In recent years, though, I’ll admit that my love of and admiration for them has rather waned, as they almost seem to have become parodies of themselves. Thus, even though on paper something like Hail, Caesar!--which spoofed the biblical epic, my favorite genre of classic Hollywood–should have appealed to me, I ultimately found it rather empty and silly, a film comprised of sly in-jokes and references that were entertaining and humorous in themselves but really didn’t add up to much.
And now we get Drive-Away Dolls, a little homage to the caper films of yore, including those made by the Coens themselves, which focuses on Jamie and Marian, a pair of lesbian besties who set out on a road trip to Tallahassee. Unbeknownst to them, however, the car they’ve rented for the trip contains a briefcase and a box, both of which are desperately desired by a powerful politician and his hired goons. Hijinks and sexcapades, and even a bit of bloodshed, ensue.
On one level, I really quite enjoyed this film, which is mercifully brief (it clocks in at just under two hours), and filled with sprightly humor and truly electric performances. As other critics have rightly noted, both Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan are perfectly cast as the lesbian besties who set out on this madcap adventure to Tallahassee. Qualley in particular is the epitome of a Coen character, with her outlandish (and sometimes grating) Texan twang and her tendency of running her mouth a mile-a-minute, a habit which aligns her with other notable Coen creations, particularly those performed by Holly Hunter. Viswanathan is likewise extraordinary as the far more repressed Marian, a young woman who would rather read Henry James in her hotel room than engage in hot and heavy encounters with an all-female soccer team. Together they make a unique sort of magic, particularly once their friendship starts to take a turn into the romantic.
Moreover, I appreciated how Drive-Away Dolls draws our attention to an aspect of the American landscape that is quickly becoming a relic of the past: the lesbian bar. Time and again Jamie and Marian drop in on gay bars, many of which have amusing names–including one called the Butter Churn–where they get to experience the innate camaraderie and such queer spaces always provided. Given the extent to which gay bars, and lesbian bars in particular, are very much an endangered species in the US, these moments are surprisingly poignant, particularly for those of us who were young adults in 1999 (when the film is set). It’s like a little time capsule of an era of queer history that is rapidly receding into the past.
It’s also quite refreshing to see a film whose plot and characters are driven by queer desire. Jamie is very much a libertine, someone whose yearnings always lead the way, no matter what the consequences might be. When the film begins, for example, she’s having an affair in the very home in which she lives with her girlfriend, Sukie (played by the always-great Beanie Feldstein). A less confident character would abase herself, but not Jamie. Instead, she just rolls with the punches–in her case, quite literally–-and, not content with this, she also introduces Marian to the heady world of desire fulfilled. There’s something gloriously messy about their romance and, if you’ve ever been part of a queer friend group, you’ll no doubt recognize just how easy it is for friendship to move into something else entirely. Say what you will about this film, but it ends up being remarkably queer for being directed by a straight guy (though this is no doubt due to the creative influence of his wife, Tricia Cooke, who co-wrote the screenplay).
However, it all just starts to feel a bit superfluous and superficial, particularly since the briefcase that sets the main plot in motion ends up being filled with, wait for it, didoes, one of which happens to belong to a very powerful and ambitious senator who is running on a campaign of faith and family values. Though Matt Damon does his best to imbue said senator with some trace of character, he ends up looking more than a little lost, as if he’s wandered in from a different Coen film, one which gave him more to do other than look vaguely squirrely. The same goes for Pedro Pascal, who makes the most out of his approximately five minutes in the film. Colman Domingo makes out better, playing the suave but ruthless Chief, the leader of the men who pursue Jamie and Marian (and who also adds another bit of queer gloss to the film as a whole).
Listen, I know that not every movie has to have some deeper message or importance. Sometimes (perhaps even most of the time) it’s okay for it to just be entertaining but, because I’ve so long been in love with the Coen Brothers and their sophistication, and because they were responsible for some of the best examples of the caper film, I found myself expecting more. I’ll also admit that I grew a bit impatient and sometimes downright annoyed with the psychedelic interludes which all too frequently interrupt the narrative, even if it is always a pleasure to see Miley Cyrus.
Ultimately, the film is, as Owen Gleiberman writes, “a trifle” and a “curio.” There’s nothing wrong with that, at the end of the day–queer people also deserve their mostly forgettable films–but even so I still found myself wishing for something a little more satisfying, a little more meaningful. However, if Drive-Away Dolls is what Ethan Coen is capable of producing without collaborating with his brother, then this bodes very well for his future creative projects. Let’s just hope that they end up doing a bit more.