Blu-ray Review: DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS

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Apr 20 Posted by Kyle Nolan in DVD/Blu-ray, Reviews | Comments

Jamie Dobbs (Margaret Qualley, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) is a free-spirited girl from Texas who loves to have fun, sometimes a bit too much fun. When Sukie (Beanie Feldstein, American Crime Story, Booksmart), her girlfriend of two years, discovers that Jamie has been sleeping around, she kicks her out. With nowhere to go, Jamie calls her more uptight best friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan, Miracle Workers) for support. Marian has been unhappy, snapping at people at work, and is planning to take a trip to Tallahassee to visit her Aunt Ellis and clear her head. Jamie suggests that she join Marian on the trip, and that they use a drive-away service to get there. A drive-away is a free one-way rental, where the driver delivers the car to some location where a client of the drive-away company wants it. Lucky for them, there just happens to be a Dodge Aries destined for Tallahassee! However, shortly after the girls head off on their road trip, two goons (Joey Slotnick, CJ Wilson) arrive at Curlie’s Drive-Away looking to drive that vehicle. There was an important package hidden in the car that they were supposed to deliver to Florida the next day. Now their boss, The Chief (Colman Domingo, Fear the Walking Dead, The Color Purple), is demanding that they find these girls before they discover what’s in the trunk of the car.

While Jamie and Marian had agreed to take a direct route and deliver the car in Tallahassee the next morning, Jamie has other plans, arranging some excursions along the way such as stopping off at some lesbian bars. Jamie’s goal is to loosen Marian up so she can relax and get laid—it’s been several years since she last had a girlfriend. However, Marian feels a bit uncomfortable about the situation when Jamie tries to bring a girl back to their motel room, or when they end up at a make-out slumber party with a girls’ college athletic team. Marian would prefer to just read her Henry James novel. But once they girls discover the unusual package in the trunk of their car, things quickly go awry, and their road trip takes a very unexpected turn as they now find themselves being pursued by a trio of inept criminals.

Drive-Away Dolls is a fun, raunchy adult comedy the really establishes its tone in the two opening scenes—that this is going to be wild, wacky, and sometimes a bit shocking comedy, where anything goes. The cold open features a hilariously over-the-top noir-like cameo by Pedro Pascal, before cutting to Jamie in bed in the graphic throws’ of wild passionate love with another woman. Though Jamie doesn’t let that stop her from taking some phone calls. Right from the start you can tell that Jamie is this loquacious spitfire, with her Texas accent, and ever upbeat and cheerful down-home attitude. She is quite the contrast to Marian, who is much more buttoned-up, telling her coworker that she “has a prior engagement” when he attempts to ask her to dinner and a Phish concert. It’s a wonder how Jamie and Marian ever became best friends as their personalities seem so different. However, when the two of them are together, they make a great duo, and you can instantly sense that there is a connection between the two. Rounding out the friends is Sukie, who’s a no-nonsense cop—you have to have one of those in every Coen film! When Sukie discovers that Jamie is cheating on her she wastes no time in laying down the law.

The film is based on a script originally written nearly 20 years ago by Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke, and serves as the solo directorial debut of Ethan Coen. Setting the film in 1999 works beautifully as takes away the modern conveniences, and the idea that everyone is reachable instantly. Jamie and Marian don’t have cell phones, so once they take off on their road trip, there is no way for the goons to track their location or call them to return the car. And once the girls discover what’s in the car, there’s no Googling for answers or help.

Despite some of the more shocking visuals early on, the wildest reveals are still yet to come later in the movie—I defy anyone going into this film blind to guess what’s in that briefcase! The film just gets crazier and crazier as it goes along. The three main actresses are so funny, and have such great comedic timing. When they play off one another, it leads to some really hilarious scenes, such as when Sukie is tearfully sobbing as she attempts to unscrew the “wall dildo” to return it to Jamie, while Jamie and Marian are constantly insisting that it’s not necessary.

Much of the film/road trip is just between Marian and Jamie. The two actresses, Viswanathan & Qualley, have such great chemistry with one another, and had me constantly laughing out loud. I was also quite impressed by their accents, both of which had me fooled. The supporting cast is also hilarious, especially the two bumbling goons who are constantly arguing with one another, their demanding boss, and Drive-Away owner Curlie (Bill Camp, American Rust). There is also a really fun guest appearance by Matt Damon.

Universal has released Drive-Away Dolls on Blu-ray and DVD, and it is also available in 4K digitally. We received the Blu-ray release for review. The picture generally looks great, with clean, detailed picture and a bit of a throwback and stylized look. The film has a pulpy, campy visual style that feels like a throwback to the the old exploitation movies. It makes use of these almost-cartoony transitions and wipes between scenes complete with sound effects, as well as some longer psychedelic cutaways and trippy animations. The audio track also shines, providing clear dialogue throughout, and making excellent use of the stereo and surround channels to give the film a more immersive feel, such as when it’s raining outside, or during party or bar sequences.

The Blu-ray and DVD discs reside on either side of a standard HD keepcase, along with a glossy carboard slipcover, and an insert containing a code to redeem for an HD MA digital copy of the film. The disc includes about 8 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and filmmakers.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:23:43)

1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English 7.1 Dolby TrueHD, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

DVD:

1080p / Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital
Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 6/30/2025):

HD Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
Play All, or select from:

The Drive-Away Gang (3:11)
The filmmakers discuss representation, queer characters, the cast, playing a cop in a Coen movie, working with Matt Damon, and more. Includes clips, and interviews with director/co-writer/producer Ethan Coen, co-writer/producer/editor Tricia Cooke, and stars Beanie Feldstein (“Sukie”), Margaret Qualley (“Jamie”) & Geraldine Viswanathan (“Marian”).
Drive-Away Dolls: An Ethan and Tricia Project (3:27)
The filmmakers talk about the 20 year process of trying to get the film made, their writing process, and what it was like for the actors working with them. Includes clips, production photos, and interviews with director/co-writer/producer Ethan Coen, co-writer/producer/editor Tricia Cooke, and stars Beanie Feldstein, Margaret Qualley & Geraldine Viswanathan.
Road Trip Essentials (:57)
Stars Margaret Qualley & Geraldine Viswanathan give viewers some tongue-in-cheek tips on what to bring on a road trip, along with clips from the film to back up the advice.

Final Thoughts:

My Rating

Film:

Video:

Audio:

Extras:

Recommended

Drive-Away Dolls is a fun, sometimes raunchy and shocking adult road trip comedy featuring an excellent comedic cast and unqiue visual style. While I can see this not being for everyone, I can also easily see it becoming a cult classic and favorite for others. Universal’s Blu-ray looks and sounds great, but is a little light on the bonus material. While I think the film is certainly worth a look, those on the fence about a blind buy can check out the movie first on Peacock, where it’s currently streaming.