DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS is out on Peacock and while this Queer Noir-Comedy from Ethan Coen is a wild ride, it’s also good fun. By no means did I find this movie to be a masterpiece, but I would still recommend that you check it out. Read our full Drive-Away Dolls movie review here!
DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS is out on Peacock, so if you haven’t watched it yet, now is your chance. I wasn’t sure what to expect other than a very gay storyline (which is great), an extremely over-the-top plot (which can be good), and a wacky comedy (which is hit or miss as comedy is).
What worked for me was the friendship between the characters portrayed by Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan with Beanie Feldstein as the best supporting character. Unfortunately, many elements outside of their scenes together did not work for me.
With a runtime of under an hour and a half, you’ll still want to watch it.
Continue reading our Drive-Away Dolls movie review below. Find it on Peacock now!
Steamy and funny – for the most part
In this Noir-Comedy, we follow Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) as the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee. It all begins as the search for a fresh start, but it all goes sideways as soon as they drive off.
We’re in the late 1990s and the two young women head to Tallahassee in a drive-away car. Essentially, it’s a smart way to get a car when you need to drive somewhere. And Marian is going to see some family in Florida. And yes, there is obviously a running joke about why anyone wants to go to Floria. And also why Tallahassee is so much better than Miami.
In any case, the car is loaded with something that was supposed to be picked up by someone else also going to Tallahassee. The car was never supposed to be in the possession of two queer girls heading South. So to speak.
Also, Jamie and Margaret could not be more different. Jamie is a very uninhibited free spirit, who just broke up with yet another girlfriend (Beanie Feldstein who plays a cop). Marian is extremely demure, in the middle of a years-long dry spell, and needs to loosen up.
For quite a while, Jamie and Marian have no idea that they have something in the car that is out of the ordinary, but once they do, their next step isn’t the smartest. Or maybe it’s the best thing they could do?!
Queer Noir-Comedy… it’s a thing!
Admittedly, I had not thought of “Queer Noir-Comedy” as a genre, but after watching Drive-Away Dolls, I absolutely recognize that it is. Just like the 1996 movie Bound by the always-magnificent Wachowskis is a Queer Film Noir. Sure, before anyone would dare label it as “queer”-anything, but The Wachowski film wasn’t shy about what it was.
In any case, the comedy element does set Drive-Away Dolls very much apart from Bound. The more erotic scenes, however, go quite a bit more crazy. However, as is the case with comedy, the extreme and wild take precedence over anything emotional.
For the most part, anyway.
Maybe that’s why I wasn’t as crazy about this movie as I was hoping. Whenever the story left all the LGBTQ+ characters out, I found myself almost (almost!) getting bored. With a supporting cast featuring Colman Domingo as “The Chief” and Pedro Pascal as “Penis Collector” – and Matt Damon in what is almost a cameo – it shouldn’t be possible.
Well, not as someone who loves the Out actor Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead, Candyman, Euphoria). And also the wonderful Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Last of Us, The Mandalorian), who is one of us in whatever way we can have him. Certainly always an ally!
Watch Drive-Away Dolls on Peacock now!
Drive-Away Dolls was directed by Ethan Coen who also wrote the screenplay with Tricia Cooke. Usually, Ethan Coen works with his brother Joel in the filmmaker duo “The Coen Brothers”, but this is a solo project. However, he is still working with family as co-writer Tricia Cooke is his wife of 30 years.
Regardless of the elements I wasn’t crazy about, Drive-Away Dolls also features some brilliant one-liners and inspired dialogue. The line “I’m not here to peddle my wares!” is an instant favorite of mine. Rarely have I heard such an old-school phrase spoken in the middle of a lesbian bar. In fact, never!
Drive‑Away Dolls stars Margaret Qualley (Novitiate, IO, Poor Things) and Geraldine Viswanathan (Cat Person, Blockers) in the title roles and they are each perfect as their respective character. So is Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart), and really, what more do you need?!
Well, nothing really, but we still get it and that’s my main issue with the movie. However, getting too much is always better than not getting anything. In this case, at least, so do check it out when you get the chance and feel a little weird. You need to give in to the wacky premise to enjoy it!
Drive-Away Dolls is out in theaters and has been available on Peacock from April 12, 2024.
Womentainment Recommendation
Watch it for the awesome queer content!
For me, the core story about the two queer friends, who are extremely different, was wonderful.
Yes, actually wonderful. Like many great comedies, there is a built-in humor in people seeing the world very differently. Especially when the two are ready to at least listen to one another. This becomes obvious in Drive-Away Dolls as the two begin to look and act more like one another. From being at two rather extreme ends of a spectrum to more mellow.
Not unlike the evolution of Hacks in season 3 (find our Hacks season 3 review here), I might add.
The rest of the story, unfortunately, didn’t do much for me. Still, while I may not find it a masterpiece (I really don’t!), there’s still plenty of awesome queer content in it. More than enough for me to recommend wholeheartedly that you watch it on Peacock!
Finally, Drive-Away Dolls is the first in “Lesbian B-movie trilogy” that Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke are making, The next is Honey Don’t! which is currently in production. That one stars Margaret Qualley, Aubrey Plaza (Happiest Season), and Chris Evans.
And yes, I am so ready for both this second and a third “Lesbian B-movie road trip” movie.
Take my money. Please!
Director: Ethan Coen
Writers: Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke
Stars: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, Matt Damon
Official plot:
Jamie and Marian are heading on a road trip to Tallahassee to get away from everything. Jamie is fresh from another break-up and Marian is desperate to let loose and live a little. On the road, the pair encounter a gang of incompetent criminals and the impromptu meeting leads to truly unexpected events.
