McCoy on Movies: Drive-Away Dolls

THE BACK STORY: The scene: Philadelphia 1999, right on the verge of Y2K. Jamie (Margaret Qually) is a free-spirited individual who likes to have sex with any woman she sees fit, much to the chagrin of her police officer girlfriend Sukie (Beanie Feldstein). Marian is a very uptight woman stuck in an office job who can’t seem to move on from her last girlfriend years ago … Which is why she decides to plan a trip to Tallahassee, Fla., to go visit her Aunt Ellis (Connie Jackson). 

Seeing how Sukie has had enough of her cheating, Jamie invites herself along for the ride, determined to get her best friend some romantic action. Problem is, the duo don’t have a way of getting there. That’s when Jamie comes up with the idea to find one via a car delivery service owned by the understated Curlie (Bill Camp). Curlie just so happens to have a Dodge that needs to get to Tallahassee the next day, so the girls take the charge and are off.

Alongside his older brother Joel, Ethan Coen has made his fair share of beloved cinematic excursions. This include Fargo, Burn After Reading and No Country for Old Men. With Drive-Away Dolls, Coen has also delivered a film that might become a cult classic among the LGTBQIA+ lesbian community for its depictions sexuality and self-discovery … But not among anyone looking for a good movie.

Save for the scenes feature Beanie Feldstein, the humor – when present – in DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS fails to deliver its intended result. One day, filmmakers will learn quirky for the sake of quirky isn’t comedy; it’s just annoying – and unfortunately, for every one person that find’s Qualley’s character funny, someone else will see that person that ruins a party with their loud, obnoxious and “well, this is happening, so just roll with it” behavior. She is a pure antagonist to the point you often find yourself feeling bad for Viswanathan’s character.

Make no mistake, diversity in mainstream film is an important thing that needs to be encouraged and supported. That being said, DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS at times feels a little more exploitative than inspired in terms of its characters’ sexuality. (Editor’s note: As a heterosexual, cisgender male, I understand I am not the target audience for the film. However, I know that when I’m watching an extended scene that feels like it is included simply for either shock value or the audience’s titilation, it is a bit distracting to say the least.) And in case you needed someone to just say it for you, DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS is NOT going to make any routine Fox News’ watcher’s top 10 list for 2024.

Save for one very poignant sequence of Viswanathan’s and Qualley’s characters respectively coming to truly understand their relationship, a large portion of the film suffers from a Wes Anderson-level of quirky for the sake of quirky with ridiculous characters, dialogue and actions. While the film’s final 20-25 minutes do ramp things up in terms of watchability and enjoyment, the preceding hour is inane enough to make most audiences not care once they arrive.

Here’s to hoping that DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS is the start of more representation of the LGTBQIA+ community on screen but the last time they are showcased in such silly fashion.