By Nicholas Vermaaten, Contributor

[Focus Features; 2024]

Rating: 6/10

While not being to the level of filmmaking one would expect from the co-director of No Country for Old Men, Ethan Coen’s new film Drive Away Dolls is a fun road trip romp, heightened by its superb casting and occasionally funny dildo-related humor.

Drive Away Dolls follows the story of hopeless romantics Marian Pallavi (Geraldine Viswanathan) and Jamie Dobbs (Margaret Qualley) as they take an impromptu road trip from Philadelphia to Tallahassee. Things quickly take a turn for the worse when the girls find a briefcase in the trunk of their rental car, the contents of which, if revealed to the public, could mean trouble for shadowy individuals in places of political power. Remaining unaware of the items’ political implications, the girls continue their expedition to the Sunshine State as a collection of hired goons follow close behind.

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Despite the driving force of political intrigue, the real focus of the film is Marian and Jamie’s developing romantic relationship. A relationship that is portrayed to great effect both through the two leads’ natural chemistry, and a (mostly) comedic screenplay from Coen and Tricia Cooke. 

What isn’t so great is the film’s approach to editing. Being a comedic film, editor/screenwriter Tricia Cooke tries to match that energy through the use of creative scene transitions, in which images slide and drift across the screen to the sounds of revving car engines or Loony Tunes-esque sound effects. While I do understand the intention behind these choices, they remain distractingly cartoonish in the face of what is mostly a very deadpan script, and on occasion pulled me out of the experience. 

Another issue I had with Drive Away Dolls is the film’s less-than-stellar first 20-ish minutes. The first act struggles to get itself going, awkwardly jumping between scenes of sleazy love-making and character development. This is also where the editing was at its most obnoxious and the writing was at its least funny, leading to a non stop barrage of PowerPoint transitions and in-your-face innuendos.

But with the introduction of the villains around the 18-minute mark, the film’s quality improves substantially, with the writing and the film’s characters finally coming into their own, and staying consistently engaging until the credits rolled 70 minutes later. 

Another thing I liked about this movie was its short length. A lot of films released these days feel unwilling to accept being anything less than two to two and a half hours long, but Drive Away Dolls’ quick pacing is what keeps it fun and engaging, making it a reminder that sometimes brevity is key to keeping a movie entertaining throughout.

For what it’s worth, Drive Away Dolls is a fun, if mostly forgettable, cinematic experience, with jokes and characters solid enough to keep audiences engaged through its 90-minute runtime. I doubt I’ll be rushing to rewatch it anytime soon, but I enjoyed my time with it enough that I can recommend it to those interested in a fun popcorn flick.