"Drive Away Dykes," now there's a title for a movie. Unfortunately Joel Coen's new flick compromises itself by changing that script title to Drive Away Dolls and the resulting experience mirrors that downgrade in edge, style and tone. This is a kooky road trip romance flick with wannabe crime undertones, following two queer girls played very effectively by Margaret Qualley & Geraldine Viswanathan. The former is outgoing and effervescent to the point where her personality gets her in trouble, the latter is reserved and repressed. They accidentally end up with a drive-away vehicle that has a mysterious briefcase in the boot containing materials they're not supposed to see, and they're soon pursued by two equally mismatched goons, a hotheaded psycho (C. J. Wilson) and a more rational one (Joey Slotnick). Geraldine and Margaret are both terrific here, nailing both the individual aspects of their characters and how they relate to one another, two fully formed performances that are a joy to watch. It's just a shame the film sort of lets them down with a script that's so manic, hyperactive and weird it scarcely takes time to develop its story, mistaking moments of grisly violence and long passages of glib nonsensical dialogue for cutesy filmmaking gimmicks we are supposed to find funny and offbeat but simply don't land here as well as they do in a film with both Coens at the steering wheel. Supporting roles are filled by cameos from folks like Bill Camp, Matt Damon and a bizarrely placed Pedro Pascal but seem strained and don't add anything of function or intrigue. The two leading ladies should have driven away together to find a better script that deserves the effort they clearly put into their work.
Review of Drive-Away Dolls
