Time: 84 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – Sex scenes, sexual references, violence & offensive language
Cast:
Margaret Qualley as Jamie
Geraldine Viswanathan as Marian
Beanie Feldstein as Sukie
Colman Domingo as the chief
Pedro Pascal as Santos
Bill Camp as Curlie
Matt Damon as Senator Gary Channel
Director: Ethan Coen

I was interested in the upcoming crime comedy Drive-Away Dolls, which would star the likes of Margaret Qualley, Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon, and most of all would be directed by Ethan Coen. Considering some of the other reactions to the movie, I actually quite enjoyed it.

The script written by Ethan Coen and his wife Tricia Cooke is pretty good. It’s a wonderfully weird and campy movie and it commits to the raunchiness and zaniness, and the dialogue is sharp and funny. I personally found it pretty funny throughout. The story takes some twists and turns, and especially goes in some unexpected directions at points. It’s a road trip crime movie which gets to play on some crime genre tropes in some entertaining ways. However, there isn’t a lot of substance here and it doesn’t amount to a whole lot, even when compared to any of the other Coen Brothers crime comedies. With that in mind, it’s just as well that the movie is under 90 minutes, so it doesn’t overstay its welcome. While it does get a little unfocused towards the middle, the pacing is generally tight.

The main leads are Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan and they are great in their parts, sharing really enjoyable chemistry with each other. The supporting cast is good too, including Beanie Feldstein and Colman Domingo, and Joey Slotnick and C.J. Wilson as a pair of offbeat goons. Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon also do well in their smaller roles, though Pascal is definitely a cameo, and it would’ve been better if Damon was left hidden as a surprise cameo.

Ethan Coen’s direction is very stylish with some vibrant visuals. The editing is unique, especially with the particularly wacky, creative and weird transitions that won’t work for everyone, but I was into them.

Drive-Away Dolls is an entertaining, funny and stylish crime comedy, with great performances from the ensemble cast. I am honestly surprised at the rather mixed reception. It’s certainly not among the best work that Ethan Coen has done, but I found it to be quite enjoyable. If it looks like your thing based on the trailer, I think that it’s worth a watch.