DVD Corner

Drive-Away Dolls Blu-ray Review

“Drive-Away Dolls” quickly runs out of gas.

Set in 1999, “Drive-Away Dolls” finds bookworm Marian and her newly single and very sexual friend Jamie embarking on a road trip to Florida. The two find a ride at a drive-away car service, but accidentally get a car meant for 3 criminals (Chief, Arliss and Flint). The car (as the two women soon discover) has a decapitated head and a mysterious briefcase in the trunk (the contents of which prove to be vital to the third act). Arliss and Flint are sent to retrieve the items all while Jamie leads Marian on a series of wild adventures. Despite being polar opposites, Marian begins to fall for Jamie and vice versa. Elsewhere in the story are subplots involving a police officer acquaintance of Jamie named Sukie.

Initially pitched by writer/director Ethan Coen (one half of the Coen Brothers) and writer/editor/producer Tricia Cooke way back in 2000, “Drive-Away Dolls” finally saw the light of day 24 years later. Truth be told, it was better left shelved. While the script deserves props for being a bold multi-genre queer romance/road movie/crime drama/sex comedy, the story is all over the place. The multi-genre picture feels like just that- a mish-mash of genres. The problem is they don’t mix well together mostly because the movie is so cartoonish and grating. Yes, there are certainly Coen shades here (the movie has a little bit of a “The Big Lebowski” vibe), but the story drowns in woefully unfunny raunchy comedy and rapid-fire dialogue. 

The chemistry between leads Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan is the only thing keeping it afloat. They play well off each other and you do buy into their eventual romance. The rest of the cast is rounded out by small but notable appearances by the likes of Pedro Pascal, Matt Damon, Colman Domingo and Bill Camp. Not even that star power can help right the ship though. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. Grade: A-

Audio Track: 7.1 Dolby TrueHD. Grade: A-

Extras:
* DVD copy and Digital copy
* “The Drive-Away Gang” covers the cast.
* “Drive-Away Dolls: An Ethan And Tricia Project”- A featurette on Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke’s collaboration.
* “Road Trip Essentials”- Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan list off road trip essentials.

April 30, 2024 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Comedy, Drive-Away Dolls, Drive-Away Dolls Blu-ray Review, Ethan Coen, Geraldine Viswanathan, Margaret Qualley, Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal