A movie like this relies almost entirely on the charisma and chemistry of the two leads. I suppose either it works for you or it doesn't. Definitely didn't for me, but hey. Although there are moments early on that feel promising, it never quite gets to where you thought it would.

I never thought I'd say this, but the Coen brand of humor ticked up just one notch too far in the "silly" direction with this one. Unfortunately, this made the tender and emotionally targeted parts of the film feel forced and underdeveloped.

In all, it just felt like the marketing and promotion was a bit mismanaged on this movie. It wasn't an "on the run" cat and mouse movie by any means. More of a light hearted, raunchy, cutesy love story.

The only thing going for it is the quick runtime, and even that felt like a slog at times.

3 stars for trying.

The Coen Brothers are a duo that has made some of the best movies out there, but I haven't been as big of a fan when they do things on their own. They seem to have a spark when they work together, but I'll always watch anything either of them is a part of. Drive-Away Dolls is Ethan Coen's latest directorial effort and I had a really good time watching it, but I'm not sure if I'll ever properly process it. There's just something about it that I wasn't expecting and I'm not sure if that added or took away from it. Still, if you're ready to be surprised, in a dirty, sexual way, then I recommend Drive-Away Dolls, and here's why.

Needing a break from her reality, Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) decides to take a road trip to Tallahassee, Florida, along with her friend Jamie (Margaret Qualley), who just recently had a break-up and has nowhere to live. The two of them rent a car and hit the road, only to realize they have a briefcase with something crazy inside, the head of a dead man, and they may possibly even be falling in love with each other along the way. That's all I can say about this film without giving too much away because I genuinely did not expect where this film goes or what was in that briefcase. The reveal of what is in there and what it relates to is one of the funniest reveals I've seen in a while, so that made for a good time at the movies, but I do think this film (aside from the humour and clever writing), is one-note.

Drive-Away Dolls is a film (like I said) that has great dialogue, but that's to be expected from Ethan Coen. My issue is that even though the dialogue is quippy and solid, a lot of the same humour is repeated and a lot of the same scenarios as well. That shouldn't be the case when the film itself is only 84 minutes long. The film is riddled with sexual humour and inclusive lingo throughout the entire runtime, which was all good, it's just that the film didn't have anything else to say aside from that. I really enjoyed what was on screen in that regard, don't get me wrong, but I felt that was the only style of humour here. Still, it was a fun time.

If you've watched the trailers, you've had every single cameo spoiled for you, which was a bit of a letdown in my opinion, even though the reason for their cameos was brilliant. I also loved the lame editing style here that was clearly done on purpose. Cheesy transitions and random psychedelic imagery definitely made me ask what I was actually watching, but I liked it. Nothing about this film is what I expected and I think that's why I ended up liking it because it's otherwise slightly repetitive. When all is said and done, Drive-Away Dolls is worth seeing if you're up for clever humour and a lot of sexual dialogue and visuals. It's now playing in theatres and I had a good time overall.

It's not an original comment at all, but after enduring DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS, I really felt like I had been left dumber than I was going in. This movie is such a massive mis-fire, I'm really shocked it got any kind of release. What drew me in was my 40 year long affection for the films of the Coen Brothers. I figured with a film from Ethan Coen, I was in for a breezy good time like some of the Coen's lesser works offered (I'm thinking INTOLERABLE CRUELTY or maybe BURN AFTER READING). What I got was a ridiculous mash-up of themes, none of which were well thought out or entertaining.

This 84 minute movie follows Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), two friends who also happen to be lesbians (but are not "together"). Jamie is a wild-child from Texas, all one-night stands and hedonistic. Marian is buttoned-up and hasn't had a lover in 3 years or more. While not exactly closeted, the 1999 setting of this film means she isn't exactly openly gay either. They decide to take a trip down to Tallahassee (I don't even recall all the rationale for that), and to make it financially viable to do so, they use a drive-away service that hooks them up with a car bound for that very Florida city. Sadly, the owner of the drive-away service thought the two young ladies worked for the criminals who ARE supposed to be driving the car south, leading to a pair of "goons" (as listed in the credits) to chase after the two young ladies in a time before real cell phone coverage or other tech that might have made the pursuit easier.

Antics ensue, revolving mostly around the sexual shenanigans of the two girls (mostly kinda icky), the endless arguments between the two goons (none of which were interesting at all) and the eventual discovery of what was in the trunk of the car that the ladies aren't supposed to know about (involving the creation of plaster casts made of the private parts of certain conservative political figures).

My biggest problem with the film was the ridiculous, over-the-top portrayal of lesbian sexuality. Coupled with the silly plaster casts we are often obliged to gaze at, and you've got a film that feels like it was written by a ninth grade boy who doesn't understand how sex works and REALLY doesn't understand how lesbian sex works. Most of the sex scenes were embarrassing to watch, they were so childish.

These scenes MIGHT have been at least some fun, had they not starred the truly dreadful Margaret Qualley. I've seen her give decent performances before (NOVITIATE, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD), but here her wild energy is uncontained and generic. Nothing she does feels rooted in any kind of reality, even the skewed reality of this film. It wants to be a daring performance; instead, it is silly and not for one moment did it feel like I watching a real person. Viswanathan, on the other hand, is marginally convincing, and the only character we root for at all.

Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon make very brief cameo appearances. They both look dreadfully embarrassed to be in the film. (I felt actively bad for Damon.) And the film even manages to make the delightful Colman Domingo uninteresting.

A deep disappointment, insulting to lesbians (rather than "liberating" as I assume it intended to be) and simply stunning to be coming from Ethan Coen. Avoid!!