--- title: "Drive-Away Dolls" year: 2024 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/drive-away-dolls" fi1m_id: "drive-away-dolls" imdb_id: "tt19356262" tmdb_id: 957304 wikidata_id: "Q117769481" fi1m_score: 60 critics_score: 61 critics_reviews: 21 published: "2026-09-09" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:00.899252+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Drive-Away Dolls (2024) Directed by Ethan Coen · 1h 24m · MPA R · Comedy, Crime ## Identity Drive-Away Dolls - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/drive-away-dolls - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** drive-away-dolls - **IMDb ID:** tt19356262 - **TMDB ID:** 957304 - **Wikidata ID:** Q117769481 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt19356262/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/957304, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q117769481 **Fi1m score: 60** · Critics 61 from 21 reviews *In a sentence:* A crime caper in which the crime is the least interesting thing in the car > Ethan Coen’s first film without his brother is a brisk, bawdy road comedy with two likeable leads, one loud ex-girlfriend and a plot that would fit on a motel napkin. It is fun for 84 minutes and gone by morning. ## Synopsis Philadelphia, 1999. Jamie (Margaret Qualley), freshly thrown out by her police-officer girlfriend Sukie (Beanie Feldstein), needs to leave town. Her friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), buttoned to the neck and bored with her life, is planning a quiet trip to her aunt in Tallahassee. Jamie invites herself along, and the pair hire a drive-away car from a lot run by Curlie (Bill Camp). They are given the wrong car. In its boot is a briefcase that a crime boss known as the Chief (Colman Domingo) wants back, and he sends two goons (Joey Slotnick and C.J. Wilson) down the highway after them. Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal appear in smaller roles. Ethan Coen directs, from a script written with Tricia Cooke, who also edits. It runs 84 minutes. ## Review Ethan Coen, working for the first time without his brother, has made a road comedy that runs 84 minutes and feels like it. That is meant as praise, mostly. Written with Tricia Cooke, who also edits, *Drive-Away Dolls* sends two friends from Philadelphia to Tallahassee in a car that was meant for somebody else, with a briefcase in the boot that two hired goons would like back. It is brisk, cheerful, dirty-minded and thin, and 84 minutes is exactly the right length for it. The year is 1999. Jamie (Margaret Qualley) has just been thrown out by her girlfriend Sukie (Beanie Feldstein), a police officer with a temper, and needs to be somewhere else. Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) is buttoned to the neck, off her sex life, and planning a quiet visit to her aunt in Florida. Jamie talks her way into the passenger seat, they collect a drive-away car from a lot run by Curlie (Bill Camp), and they are handed the wrong keys. By the time the Chief (Colman Domingo) sends his goons (Joey Slotnick and C.J. Wilson) after them, the women are already in a basement bar with a wall of sex toys and no intention of hurrying. The two leads carry it, and they carry it well. Qualley plays Jamie with a drawl and a swagger that would get her thrown out of most places, and she is funniest when Jamie is certain and wrong. Viswanathan does the harder thing. Marian spends the first half of the film reading in motel beds while Jamie goes looking for company, and Viswanathan makes the reading look like a decision rather than a joke. When she finally puts the book down, the film gets its one scene of tenderness, and it got more from us than we expected from a picture this pleased with its own smut. Feldstein is the other reason to see it. Sukie has perhaps six scenes and she plays every one at a shout, threatening suspects, colleagues and exes in the same voice, and she wins nearly all of them. We laughed hardest at her, and hardest of all in a police station where she takes out on a stranger everything she would like to say to Jamie. Ari Wegner shoots the bars and motels in hot, saturated colour, red neon and orange lampshades, so that a Florida diner looks like a postcard of a Florida diner. Lee Yong-ok panels every interior in wood and vinyl, and Peggy Schnitzer keeps Jamie in denim and Marian in collars that loosen as the miles pass. Cooke cuts between scenes with the wipes and spinning frames of a drive-in B-picture, and drops in interludes of soft-focus psychedelia, lava-lamp colours and slow motion, that seem to belong to a different and stranger film. Carter Burwell’s score is light and twangy and never pushes. What does not work is the crime. The Chief menaces, the goons bicker, a senator (Matt Damon) turns up late, and Pedro Pascal has a cameo we will not describe. None of it goes anywhere the women’s story was not already going. The goons’ scenes are built on one joke, that they are incompetent and disagree about how, and the joke is told four times. Around the hour mark we noticed we had stopped laughing and were checking how far it was to Tallahassee. The film noticed too, and put its foot down. The Coens have made this shape before. [*Raising Arizona*](https://film.one/film/raising-arizona) (1987) had a baby, a plan and a town full of grotesques with a line each; [*The Big Lebowski*](https://film.one/film/the-big-lebowski) (1998) had a rug and a briefcase and cared about neither. Both had scripts in which every minor character talked like nobody else. Here the goons and the Chief talk like goons and a chief, and the jokes about 1999 are the kind you make about a decade you have already left. It is a pleasant evening and it will not be a memorable one. Watch it at home, with someone who laughs at a rude word before the sentence is finished, and do not expect it to be about anything. It runs 84 minutes and carries a 15. *Fi1m score 60, published 9 September 2026.* ## What the critics say The reviews split almost down the middle, and the spread is wide. Most critics agree on what works: the two leads, with Margaret Qualley’s loose-limbed libertine and Geraldine Viswanathan’s quieter, more grounded partner singled out again and again, Beanie Feldstein’s supporting turn, and a run of cameos. The film’s cheerful bawdiness and brisk 84 minutes are counted in its favour by those who enjoy it. The reservations cluster around slightness. Many find the jokes strained rather than sharp, the characters thin, and the whole thing a pastiche of earlier Coen brothers road comedies, with several saying Joel Coen is missed. A number also find the 1999 setting and the humour dated. The harshest dissent comes from The Wrap, which calls the sexualising of the leads exploitative rather than funny, and from The New York Times, which finds the staging inert and the performances overblown. Even the admirers tend to call it minor. ## Straight answers **Is Drive-Away Dolls worth watching?** *Drive-Away Dolls* is worth an undemanding evening for anyone who likes a rude, brisk road comedy, and we scored it 60. Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan and a shouting Beanie Feldstein carry it; the crime plot, with its bickering goons, runs out of jokes around the hour mark. At 84 minutes it does not outstay its welcome, and it does not linger either. **How long is Drive-Away Dolls, and what is it rated?** *Drive-Away Dolls* runs 1h 24m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a comedy and crime film. **Where can I watch Drive-Away Dolls in the US?** *Drive-Away Dolls* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Drive-Away Dolls, and is it suitable for children?** *Drive-Away Dolls* is a 15 in the UK, and its adult content is sexual rather than violent: a basement bar with a wall of sex toys, a heroine who spends her nights looking for company, and a script that enjoys a rude word. Menace from a crime boss and his goons stays at the level of comedy. It is not for children, and not for anyone who tires of smut told at speed. **How does Drive-Away Dolls compare to Thelma & Louise?** *Drive-Away Dolls* is a smaller, sillier film than [*Thelma & Louise*](https://film.one/film/thelma-and-louise), which it keeps nodding at. Ridley Scott's road film has real stakes and a friendship that is funny, angry and moving; Ethan Coen's is a bawdy caper with a briefcase nobody much cares about. The earlier film is the one to return to, and the later one is the one to watch when you only want to laugh. **What should I watch after Drive-Away Dolls?** After *Drive-Away Dolls*, try [*Thelma & Louise*](https://film.one/film/thelma-and-louise) (1991, Fi1m 85): The road film this one keeps nodding at, with far more at stake. Then [*Raising Arizona*](https://film.one/film/raising-arizona) (1987, Fi1m 84): Both brothers, one baby, and a supporting cast who all talk differently; and [*Bound*](https://film.one/film/bound) (1996, Fi1m 80): Two women, a mob briefcase and a plot that actually tightens. ### Reviews we read (30) - **Empire**, John Nugent (80/100, inferred): As furiously funny as it is helplessly horny, the film feels exactly like a Coen brothers picture yet entirely its own thing, with strong leads and a shaggy-dog story about shagging. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/drive-away-dolls/) - **Little White Lies**, Esther Rosenfield (4/4/4): The critic calls the film riotously funny from start to finish and as solid a comedy as the Coens ever made together. They single out the manic energy, cartoonish absurdities and frank sex-positive depiction for praise. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/drive-away-dolls) - **Radio Times**, Max Copeman (4/5): The critic describes a playful madcap queer road movie and crime comedy with bawdy humour and a freewheeling modern sensibility. They single out the central couple and riotous fun for praise while noting the old-fashioned direction may not suit all tastes. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-wyd12o/driveaway-dolls/) - **Slant Magazine** (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's gleeful ribbing of genre tropes and tonally adventurous approach to noir and road movies with high lesbian camp. It pays homage while moving to its own rhythm in a queer punk tradition. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/drive-away-dolls-review-margaret-qualley-ethan-coen/) - **The Times** (80/100, inferred): The critic calls it a joyous, deeply silly but smart lesbian road movie that is a playful pick-me-up, praising Qualley's performance and the madcap playfulness. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/drive-away-dolls-film-review-a-joyous-lesbian-road-movie-h9zvh67kp) - **Evening Standard**, Nick Howells (70/100, inferred): The critic sees it as a wild Sapphic joyride with familiar Coen hallmarks but notes a discernible Joel-shaped hole in the execution. Praises the leads and cameos while calling it quite long enough at 84 minutes. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/driveaway-dolls-review-margaret-qualley-coen-brothers-b1144813.html) - **Total Film** (60/100, inferred): Ethan Coen strikes out alone with a frivolous frolic that wears its slightness like a badge of honour, a comedy steeped in déjà vu yet featuring a highly likable duo and entertaining cameos. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/drive-away-dolls-review/) - **Vulture** (60/100, inferred): The critic finds the film loose-limbed goofiness that mostly reminds one of better movies, sustaining itself just enough over its short runtime but lacking weight or originality. It evokes Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski without matching them. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/article/review-drive-away-dolls-is-just-fizzy-enough.html) - **Sight and Sound** (50/100, inferred): The critic finds the self-consciously trashy lesbian road movie has some laughs but often feels dated. They single out the retro 1990s setting and bawdy humour for both praise and criticism, noting it captures the era authentically but remains stuck there. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/drive-away-dolls-lesbian-road-trip-comedy-that-feels-authentic-1990s-stuck-there-too) - **The AV Club**, Murtada Elfadl (C-): The critic sees it as a forgettable pastiche of better Coen-style road movies and quirky comedies, with stale jokes and little originality. Feldstein provides some laughs, but the film overall lacks substance. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/drive-away-dolls-movie-review-1851276056) - **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (50/100, inferred): The solo Ethan Coen effort is good fun with a raucous sapphic twist on Thelma & Louise but feels incredibly lightweight, with some jokes missing the mark and characters feeling underdeveloped. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/drive-away-dolls-review-coen-brothers-2954756) - **Screen Daily** (40/100, inferred): The critic finds the oddball crime caper strains for quirky humour and lacks the magic of earlier Coen brothers projects. They single out the one-note characters and frantic rather than inspired tone for criticism. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/drive-away-dolls-review/5190612.article) - **The Telegraph** (30/100, inferred): The critic sees the film as a flatly methodical hybrid that feels like a misfire from the Coens' wastepaper basket, with some redeeming features but ultimately unsuccessful in leaving the brother behind. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/drive-away-dolls-review-ethan-coen-margaret-qualley/) - **IndieWire**, Alison Foreman: The critic calls it a sexy, shaggy queer crime caper that confidently straddles genres as a stylishly violent action adventure and self-aware lezzie road trip. Geraldine Viswanathan and Margaret Qualley are highlighted as dreamy and twangy leads. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/drive-away-dolls-review-margaret-qualley-ethan-coen-tricia-cooke-1234955387/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Katie Walsh: The critic calls it trashy fun that is exceedingly disposable, delivering crude randy entertainment at a brisk pace but ultimately failing to justify its own existence. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-02-21/drive-away-dolls-ethan-coen-margaret-qualley-tricia-cooke-geraldine-viswanathan) - **RogerEbert.com**, Tomris Laffly: The critic praises the uproarious, sexy and feminine B-movie road trip as a genuinely entertaining Coen-style caper that captures quirky zany energy with bold chances and palpable fun from the cast. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/drive-away-dolls-film-review-2024) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic finds the film a saucy, silly queer road-movie caper that rattles along watchably enough despite a flimsy premise. Viswanathan's quiet seriousness anchors the story, with strong supporting turns from Feldstein and cameos. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/mar/13/drive-away-dolls-review-ethan-coens-lesbian-road-trip-is-a-cheerfully-nonsensical-caper) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: The critic finds the knockabout humor strained and forced rather than funny, with the plot feeling like strung-together vignettes. Beanie Feldstein stands out for bringing hilarious fire to her role. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/drive-away-dolls-review-ethan-coen-margaret-qualley-1235816589/) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody: The critic sees the film as leaning on comical violence and genre winks for a relationship story of lesbians on the road but finds the erotic whimsy forced and the comedy febrile with little dramatic resistance. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/the-forced-erotic-whimsy-of-drive-away-dolls) - **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis: The critic finds the leaden romp stalls out with inert staging, dead jokes and overblown performances despite its promising setup of two friends on a 1999 road trip entangled with criminals. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/22/movies/drive-away-dolls-review-ethan-coen.html) - **Variety**, Owen Gleiberman: The critic hails it as a light queer crime joyride whose standout is Margaret Qualley’s free-spirited libertine performance that brings personality and star quality to Ethan Coen’s solo effort. [Read](https://variety.com/2024/film/reviews/drive-away-dolls-review-margaret-qualley-ethan-coen-1235914006/) - **/Film**, Witney Seibold (7.5/10): The critic describes the film as an utter hoot with infectious wild rainbow energy and playful queerness but notes it feels weirdly dated in 2024. It singles out the gleeful, cartoonish depiction of lesbian characters and their adventures for praise. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/1522987/drive-away-dolls-review-ethan-coen-margaret-qualley/) - **The Ringer**, Adam Nayman (70/100, inferred): The critic finds the film bristles with a good-natured complicity and easy chemistry between the leads, with sweet and tender scenes between the protagonists. They note some off elements like choppy pace but highlight the fresh, raucous eroticism and left-leaning tone. [Read](https://www.theringer.com/2024/02/26/movies/coen-brothers-movies-drive-away-dolls-review) - **Deadline**, Pete Hammond (65/100, inferred): The critic finds it a disposable but not entirely unentertaining minor Coen effort and an affectionate tribute to hard R drive-in B movies. The game cast and the fun the filmmakers have with the rolling roadshow are singled out for praise. [Read](https://deadline.com/2024/02/drive-away-dolls-review-ethan-coen-star-cast-wacky-lesbian-b-movie-comedy-1235832230/) - **Polygon**, joshua-rivera (65/100, inferred): The critic says it delivers a fun lesbian road trip with tremendous style, broad jokes, lewd sex, and loony transitions, plus delightful supporting turns. They note it feels slight with overly familiar beats and thin characters that prioritize gags over depth. [Read](https://www.polygon.com/reviews/24085159/drive-away-dolls-review-ethan-coen/) - **Consequence**, Abby Jones (C+): The critic says the film hits speedbumps because the script lacks nuance in establishing the protagonists as believable friends. They praise the on-screen chemistry between Qualley and Viswanathan but note the relationship feels unhealthy and underdeveloped. [Read](https://consequence.net/2024/02/drive-away-dolls-review-ethan-coen/) - **Collider**, Ross Bonaime (6/10): The critic calls it a mixed bag that is occasionally charming as a road trip comedy but lacks the sharp wit of typical Coen work. They single out Geraldine Viswanathan as a standout for her fully realized character finding herself. [Read](https://collider.com/drive-away-dolls-review/) - **HeyUGuys**, Linda Marric (2/5): The critic expresses deep disappointment in Ethan Coen's film, calling it uneven, juvenile, and a waste of talent from a favorite filmmaker. While noting Geraldine Viswanathan's performance stands out, the rest are seen as cartoonish and lacking humor. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/drive-away-dolls-review/) - **The Wrap** (25/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a dated misfire that is painfully unfunny, with juvenile humor that feels exploitative and titillating. The overemphasis on sexualizing the leading ladies and the thin, directionless plot are singled out for complaint. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/drive-away-dolls-review-margaret-qualley-ethan-coen/) - **Paste**, Kevin Fox Jr. (8.0): The critic calls it an end-to-end comedy about two lesbians on a road trip ensnared in a caper while growing as people. They single out the terrific dialogue that distinguishes personalities and the vibrant, playful sound design and editing. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/margaret-qualley/drive-away-dolls-review) ## Details - **Director:** Ethan Coen - **Director:** Ethan Coen - **Writer:** Tricia Cooke, Ethan Coen - **Cinematography:** Ari Wegner - **Editor:** Tricia Cooke - **Music:** Carter Burwell - **Production design:** Lee Yong-ok - **Costume design:** Peggy Schnitzer - **Producer:** Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Robert Graf - **Cast:** Margaret Qualley as Jamie; Geraldine Viswanathan as Marian; Beanie Feldstein as Sukie; Joey Slotnick as The Goon; C.J. Wilson as The Goon; Colman Domingo as The Chief; Pedro Pascal as Penis Collector; Bill Camp as Curlie - **Runtime:** 1h 24m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 23 February 2024 - **Genres:** Comedy, Crime - **Budget:** $8 million - **Box office:** $8 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vy_7UGICJU ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, uhd *Checked 2026-09-10.* Also available in: AR, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, ES, FI, FR, GB, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IT, JP, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, TH, TR, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *Thelma & Louise* (1991), Fi1m 85: The road film this one keeps nodding at, with far more at stake. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/thelma-and-louise.md) - *Raising Arizona* (1987), Fi1m 84: Both brothers, one baby, and a supporting cast who all talk differently. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/raising-arizona.md) - *Bound* (1996), Fi1m 80: Two women, a mob briefcase and a plot that actually tightens. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/bound.md) - *The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert* (1994), Fi1m 81: An Australian road trip with better frocks and a bigger heart. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-adventures-of-priscilla-queen-of-the-desert.md) - *But I'm a Cheerleader* (1999): Candy-coloured queer comedy from the year this film is set in. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/drive-away-dolls