Rent Drive-Away Dolls on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Ethan Coen & Tricia Cooke
Directed by: Ethan Coen
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, Matt Damon
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
In search of a fresh start, Jamie and Marian embark on an unexpected road trip to Tallahassee where things go awry when they cross paths with inept criminals.
Verdict
This wants to be a fun road trip crime caper, but it never quite gets there. You can see the pieces and what this wants to be, but it's not enough. There's no reason or meaning to the trip, it's not that funny, and the bad guys are flat. It feels like it wants to be a Coen brothers movie, but the product is an imitation that falls short. It leans too heavily on the same sex relationship, but that doesn't seem as unique or as unusual as the movie thinks it is.
Skip it.
Review
I enjoy Coen brothers movies. They've created amazing films like O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, and Inside Llewyn Davis. But alone I haven't liked the output. This is Ethan's first solo direct movie, and Joel did The Tragedy of Macbeth.
This has a rather campy start with a man attacked by a waiter for his briefcase. It feels like it's trying too hard, but Coen's inspiration was the movies he watched as a kid in the '70s so over the top is the intent.
This really wants to be cool and trendy, but it does't given us a reason to care. There's the typical free spirit Jamie (Margaret Qualley), and the more reserved Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan). It's a rather typical odd couple pairing. Just a quarter into the movie, this doesn't have the wit and fun that I expected. I guess you really need both of the Coen brothers.
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| Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan play Jamie, Marian |
Jamie and Marian embark on a road trip so the movie has some kind of plot, but of course a mix up means they get the wrong car. Jamie wants Marian to loosen up and be more indulgent. On their trail are two henchman that want the briefcase hidden in the car. The women don't realize what they have until they get a flat tire.
The two henchman feel like something out of Fargo; unfortunately it's nowhere near as good and it seems like a giant missed opportunity. This script alone feels like a movie the Coen brothers could turn into something fun with a script overhaul. That's quite ironic.
At first the brief case seems like a Macguffin as we don't see the contents. With what's in the suitcase and how it relates to the plot, you'd think this movie would be so much more fun and humorous. While it's all a bit convenient, it's just not interesting. This has some humorous parts and plenty of potential, but it's trying too hard. I get what this wants to be, but it doesn't achieve it. Jamie and Marian are flat characters, and it really seems like the movie made them a same sex couple and coasted on that instead of continuing to build the characters. They don't have a goal, and this road trip is just a plot device. We need to understand them.
All of these characters need more development. The most interesting conversation the bad guys chasing them have is throwaway dialog in the background in the scene after the movie has moved on. While Colman Domingo is in the movie, this does next to nothing with the character. This movie is a rough draft that doesn't deliver.
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