Drive-Away Dolls: Difference between revisions
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'''''Drive-Away Dolls''''' is a 2024 American [[Comedy film|comedy]] [[road film]] directed by [[Coen brothers|Ethan Coen]]. Coen wrote the screenplay with his wife [[Tricia Cooke]]; they also produced the film with Robert Graf and Working Title Films' [[Tim Bevan]] and [[Eric Fellner]]. It stars [[Margaret Qualley]], [[Geraldine Viswanathan]], [[Beanie Feldstein]], [[Colman Domingo]], [[Pedro Pascal]], [[Bill Camp]], and [[Matt Damon]]. Qualley and Viswanathan play two lesbian friends who are running from mobsters on the road with a briefcase that the mobsters are after. |
'''''Drive-Away Dolls''''' is a 2024 American [[Comedy film|comedy]] [[road film]] directed by [[Coen brothers|Ethan Coen]]. Coen wrote the screenplay with his wife [[Tricia Cooke]]; they also produced the film with Robert Graf and Working Title Films' [[Tim Bevan]] and [[Eric Fellner]]. It stars [[Margaret Qualley]], [[Geraldine Viswanathan]], [[Beanie Feldstein]], [[Colman Domingo]], [[Pedro Pascal]], [[Bill Camp]], and [[Matt Damon]]. Qualley and Viswanathan play two lesbian friends who are running from mobsters on the road with a briefcase that the mobsters are after. |
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''Drive-Away Dolls'' was released in the United States by [[Focus Features]] |
''Drive-Away Dolls'' was released in the United States by [[Focus Features]] in February 2024.<ref name="release">{{cite web |website=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |date=2024-02-22 |accessdate=2024-02-23 |URL=https://collider.com/drive-away-dolls-cast-characters/ |title='Drive-Away Dolls' Cast and Character Guide: Who Plays Who in Ethan Coen's Road Trip Comedy |first=Isabella |last=Soares}}</ref><ref name="wbur">{{Cite web |url=https://www.wbur.org/news/2024/02/22/ethan-coen-drive-away-dolls-film-review |publisher=[[WBUR]] |date=2024-02-22 |accessdate=2024-02-23 |language=en-US |first=Sean |last=Burns |department=Reviews |title=Ethan Coen's 'Drive-Away Dolls' is a zany, lesbian, sex comedy |quote=“Drive-Away Dolls” is now in theaters.}}</ref> |
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
Revision as of 08:18, 23 February 2024
Drive-Away Dolls | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Ethan Coen |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Ari Wegner |
Edited by | Tricia Cooke |
Music by | Carter Burwell |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Focus Features (United States) Universal Pictures (international)[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes[2] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Drive-Away Dolls is a 2024 American comedy road film directed by Ethan Coen. Coen wrote the screenplay with his wife Tricia Cooke; they also produced the film with Robert Graf and Working Title Films' Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner. It stars Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, and Matt Damon. Qualley and Viswanathan play two lesbian friends who are running from mobsters on the road with a briefcase that the mobsters are after.
Drive-Away Dolls was released in the United States by Focus Features in February 2024.[3][4]
Plot
In the final days of 1999, Santos sits in a Philadelphia bar nervously clutching a briefcase. He exits in a hurry and is followed by his bartender, who murders him in an alley and decapitates him.
Elsewhere in the city, Jamie and Sukie are lovers whose relationship falls apart due to Jamie's infidelity. When Sukie kicks her out of their apartment, she convinces her friend Marian to find a way to take a trip to clear their minds. Marian wants to visit her aunt in Tallahassee and convinces Jamie to go. They head into a driveaway car service, where someone can transport a car one-way for another client. Due to a misunderstanding, they are given a car that is coincidentally headed to Tallahassee and head out.
Moments later, a group of three criminals, Arliss, Flint, and their boss Chief come to the shop to pick up their car headed to Tallahassee and find that Jamie and Marian took it by accident, along with an unspecified cargo that is part of their illegal dealings. While straight-laced Marian wants to complete their task as soon as possible, Jamie constantly tries to convince her to loosen up by taking detours or trying to have casual sex at lesbian bars along the way. Marian prefers to read Henry James' The Europeans but slowly comes out of her shell due to Jamie's prodding. As they enter Florida a day late for the driveaway task, they get a flat tire and open the trunk to find that it has the briefcase from earlier and a basket with dry ice and Santos' head.
As they make this discovery, they are followed by Arliss and Flint, who are led on a wild goose chase by some soccer players who briefly partied with Jamie and Marian, but once the two check into a hotel using Jamie's credit card, the mob is tipped off to their location. Arliss, Flint, and Chief head to Tallahassee to get their goods while the two women transition from being friends to lovers when Jamie convinces Marian that she needs to have a positive sexual experience to enjoy life more. The next morning, the criminals arrive in town and Jamie decides to use the payload in the briefcase: a collection of dildos. Marian is shocked but Jamie insists that she just wants the sexual release that Marian had the night before.
Immediately after she climaxes, Arliss and Flint burst into their room and get Santos' head and the briefcase, while abducting the women at gunpoint. In the backroom at a dog racing track, the Chief arrives to meet them all and explains that the sex toys are particularly important as they are modeled after the genitals of powerful public figures, including one that was molded for Senator Channel, a right-wing politician whose career could be ruined by a sex scandal. This was the toy that Jamie used and it was accidentally left in the hotel room. When the gangsters have an argument that leads to Flint shooting the other two dead and running away, Jamie and Marian decide to blackmail the senator.
Sukie has also been en route to Tallahassee in her capacity as a police officer after Jamie tipped her off. Jamie and Marian meet Channel at a lesbian bar and give him the dildo in exchange for one million dollars. Sukie intercepts them as they exit and Channel turns back around to try and kill the women. Sukie shoots Channel, causing a media sensation.
The next day, Jamie and Marian meet with Marian's aunt at their hotel and Jamie casually mentions that they will soon go to Massachusetts, as same-sex marriage is legal there. As the trio drive away, a bellhop races to give them a bag that they left behind that has two dildos modeled after Channel's penis.
Cast
- Margaret Qualley as Jamie
- Geraldine Viswanathan as Marian
- Beanie Feldstein as Sukie
- Colman Domingo as Chief
- Pedro Pascal as Santos
- Bill Camp as Curlie
- Matt Damon as Senator Channel
- Joey Slotnick as Arliss
- C. J. Wilson as Flint
- Miley Cyrus as Tiffany Plastercaster[5]
Production
Development and casting
Ethan Coen and his wife, Tricia Cooke, first pitched the idea for the film to their friend Allison Anders during a Christmas vacation in San Francisco in the early 2000s. The film was announced in January 2007 under the title Drive-Away Dykes, with Anders attached to direct. Coen said the tone was similar to the early 1970s exploitation romance films he saw as a teenager. Selma Blair, Holly Hunter, Christina Applegate, and Chloë Sevigny were among those attached to star at various points during pre-production.[6] In April 2022, reports said Coen would be directing the film, which was now being described as an untitled "lesbian road trip project".[7] It was produced by Coen, Cooke, Robert Graf, and Working Title principals Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner.[8]
It is the debut of Coen as a solo director, excluding the documentary Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind (2022), without the collaboration of his brother, Joel. It is also his first narrative film since The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018). Coen said he took a break from filmmaking in 2018 because he had grown bored with the process and experience of creating a film: "After 30 years, not that it's no fun, but it's more of a job than it had been. Joel kind of felt the same way but not to the extent that I did. It's an inevitable by-product of aging. And the last two movies we made, me and Joel together, were really difficult in terms of production. I mean, really difficult. So if you don't have to do it, you go at a certain point: Why am I doing this?" Coen and Cooke said they decided to make the film because the COVID-19 pandemic gave them the time to work on it.[9]
In August 2022, Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan joined the cast.[10] In September, Beanie Feldstein was added to the cast.[11] In April 2023, the title was revealed to be Drive-Away Dolls, with Pedro Pascal, Colman Domingo, Bill Camp and Matt Damon added to the cast.[12]
Filming
Filming began by August 2022 in Pittsburgh,[13] with Ari Wegner serving as cinematographer.[14] Production occurred in Hopewell Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania and in Lawrence, Washington County, Pennsylvania in October 2022.[15]
Release
Drive-Away Dolls was released in Australia and the United States on February 22, 2024.[16][3] The film was originally scheduled to be released on September 22, 2023,[1] but was delayed due to the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike.[17] The film is set to be released in the United Kingdom on March 15, 2024.[18]
Reception
Box office
In the United States and Canada, Drive-Away Dolls was released alongside Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – To the Hashira Training and Ordinary Angels, and is projected to gross around $4 million from 2,261 theaters in its opening weekend.[19]
Critical response
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 68% of 94 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.1/10.[20] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 59 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[21]
In a negative review, Barry Hertz of The Globe and Mail wrote, "There is a fine line between endearing, breezy silliness and second-hand embarrassment, a border that the undercooked film crosses back and forth over and over again until there's no space left for your eyes to roll."[22]
Tomris Laffly of RogerEbert.com gave the film three and a half out of four stars and wrote, "Sometimes, there is the slightest air of obviousness in Drive-Away Dolls, which can't avoid inevitable comparisons to older (and better) idiosyncratic crime capers, many of them by the Coens themselves. But that doesn't lessen the nostalgic bliss the film stirs in one with all its foul-mouthed, naughty glory; not when the fun had by everyone involved in the project is so palpable on the screen. In that, there is a disarming what the hell, why not quality to Cooke and Coen's writing, with the carefree words and actions of Jamie and Marian jovially bouncing off the page and landing on the viewers' eyes and ears with the same jubilant vigor."[23]
See also
- Cynthia Plaster Caster, a rock groupie who made models of the penises of several famous musicians
References
- ^ a b D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 17, 2023). "Ethan Coen's Margaret Qualley & Geraldine Viswanathan Drive-Away Dolls To Park At Cinemas This Fall". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Drive-away Dolls (15)". British Board of Film Classification. July 28, 2023. Archived from the original on July 28, 2023. Retrieved July 28, 2023.
- ^ a b Soares, Isabella (February 22, 2024). "'Drive-Away Dolls' Cast and Character Guide: Who Plays Who in Ethan Coen's Road Trip Comedy". Collider. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ Burns, Sean (February 22, 2024). "Ethan Coen's 'Drive-Away Dolls' is a zany, lesbian, sex comedy". Reviews. WBUR. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
"Drive-Away Dolls" is now in theaters.
- ^ DeVore, Britta (February 6, 2024). "New 'Drive-Away Dolls' Trailer Puts Pedro Pascal on Ice". Collider. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
- ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (January 10, 2007). "A mischievous road". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ Kit, Borys (April 1, 2022). "Ethan Coen Goes Solo, Will Direct Road Trip Movie for Focus, Working Title". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (April 1, 2022). "Ethan Coen Sets Next Feature With Focus And Working Title". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 5, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
- ^ Coyle, Jake (May 21, 2022). "Ethan Coen on his Jerry Lee Lewis doc and filmmaking return". Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (August 9, 2022). "Margaret Qualley & Geraldine Viswanathan To Star In Ethan Coen's First Solo Directing Outing". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (September 9, 2022). "Beanie Feldstein Joins Ethan Coen Pic At Working Title And Focus Features". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 10, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (April 17, 2023). "Ethan Coen's Margaret Qualley & Geraldine Viswanathan Drive-Away Dolls To Park At Cinemas This Fall". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ Behanna, Garrett (August 9, 2022). "ENTERTAINMENT Ethan Coen to film new movie in the Pittsburgh area". CBS News. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Ari Wegner, ASC, ACS". Lux Artists. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ "Ethan Coen's untitled 'road comedy' films in Hopewell Twp". The Times. October 15, 2022. Archived from the original on January 21, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2023.
- ^ Bramesco, Charlie (February 22, 2024). "Drive-Away Dolls review – Ethan Coen sets off in a wild new direction". The Guardian. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 25, 2023). "'Drive-Away Dolls' Eyes September Exit; What's Involved In Possible 'Dune: Part Two' Spring 2024 Move – The Dish". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 29, 2023. Retrieved July 29, 2023.
- ^ Travis, Ben (January 17, 2024). "Ethan Coen's Drive-Away Dolls Is An LGBT Movie That Isn't About "The Pain Of Being Gay" – Exclusive". Empire. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 21, 2024). "'Bob Marley: One Love' To Stay High As A Kite At Box Office Until 'Dune' Gang Arrives – Preview". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
- ^ "Drive-Away Dolls". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ "Drive-Away Dolls". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ Hertz, Barry (February 21, 2024). "Drive-Away Dolls proves there's a big, Lebowski-sized difference between a Coen Brothers movie, and a movie by a Coen brother". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
- ^ Laffly, Tomris (February 21, 2024). "Drive Away Dolls". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
External links
- 2024 films
- 2024 comedy films
- 2024 LGBT-related films
- 2020s American films
- 2020s comedy road movies
- 2020s female buddy films
- 2020s English-language films
- American comedy road movies
- American female buddy films
- American LGBT-related films
- Films affected by the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strike
- Films directed by the Coen brothers
- Films impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic
- Films scored by Carter Burwell
- Films shot in Pittsburgh
- Focus Features films
- Lesbian-related films
- LGBT-related buddy comedy films
- Universal Pictures films
- Works by Ethan Coen
- Working Title Films films
- Films with screenplays by the Coen brothers