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DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS

Starring: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Joey Slotnick, C.J. Wilson, Bill Camp, and Matt Damon
Director: Ethan Coen

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NICK

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An 84-minute film should always move along at a brisk pace, and Drive-Away Dolls does that for the most part. However, some of director Ethan Coen’s decision-making halts that pace intermittently, messing with the flow of an otherwise entertaining comedy. If you can get past the psychedelic cut scenes, the pair of Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan make for a solid “odd couple,” while Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon entertain in their brief screen time. It may not have reached the heights I was hoping it would, but Drive-Away Dolls still makes for an enjoyable watch.

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PAIGE

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Drive-Away Dolls is a zany and horny road trip flick that very much marches to the beat of its own drum. Though the freewheeling queer crime comedy is very much reminiscent of the Coen Brothers’ earlier works Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski, be prepared for Ethan Coen’s solo offering to be a bumpy ride at times as the movie is a little bit uneven. Still, even if it's not one of the stronger Coen outings, the movie is kept moving by the chemistry and character dynamics between its two leads, Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan.

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CALEB

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I’m really getting tired of these pulpy, crime-comedy B-movies. The zany, fast-talking heroes, the secret briefcases, the silly accents, the squabbling hitmen, the “witty” dialogue - it’s all so played out. Even at 84 minutes, Drive-Away Dolls drags. The character arcs are generic, the antagonists aren’t threatening, and the protagonists spend most of the movie completely unaware of the stakes. Try as they might, the flashy editing and garish VFX sequences aren’t enough to distract from the dull script. Outside of some decent cinematography and a fun performance from Geraldine Viswanathan, Drive-Away Dolls doesn’t have much to offer.

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ADRIANO

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After director Joel Coen's solo outing with modern masterpiece The Tragedy of Macbeth, it's now his brother Ethan's turn with Drive-Away Dolls. With this film, Coen seemingly wanted to make a fun, breezy B-film, and he ultimately succeeds…but perhaps it's a bit TOO breezy. Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan's chemistry is endearing, but the crime elements, while funny, are rushed. At 84 minutes, it's the rare film that's too short, as most of it feels like a lucid acid trip, for better and for worse. Drive-Away Dolls can be a blast, but in the end, it’s not enough of one.

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QUENTIN

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You may recall that I named Drive-Away Dolls one of my most anticipated movies of 2024’s first half (read about it HERE!), which makes it all the more disappointing that I didn’t care for it…like, at all. Long story, short: director Ethan Coen is lazily plagiarizing himself, pulling elements from The Big Lebowski, Fargo, The Man Who Wasn’t There, The Ladykillers, Burn After Reading, and more; wrapping them all up in a horny lesbian love story that borders on fetishistic. Add in a terrible accent from Margaret Qualley, insignificant cameos from major stars, the oddly lifeless story, and pacing issues…well, you’ve got a rare Coen miss.

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