'Drive-Away Dolls' isn't a road to nowhere, but it isn't the quirky joy ride it should be

It’s impossible not to compare “Drive-Away Dolls” to a Coen brothers film because of the dizzy plot, the intricate madness of the dialogue and, well, because one of the Coen brothers directs it.

Which is to say it has the ingredients of an off-kilter delight. But something is missing — and it’s not the other Coen brother. Ethan Coen directs, and has said in interviews that Tricia Cooke, his co-writer, basically co-directed the movie. The cast has a blast, the sex-positive gay characters are a welcome element in an often-stodgy film era and the deadpan approach to absurdity (an absolute must), is there.

It just doesn’t come together in a wholly satisfying way. It’s not quite right to say that it takes narrative shortcuts; it’s too broad and fanciful for that to be a legitimate criticism. It just leaves you feeling like there should be more (and there could have been; it’s only 84 minutes long). More story, more connections between strands of storyline, more genuine cleverness instead of the look-at-me-being-clever version.

Liked it, didn’t love it is the vibe here — good, not great. That kind of thing.

What is 'Drive-Away Dolls' about?

Jamie (Margaret Qualley, diving deep into a Southern accent) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) are best friends, though nothing alike. Jamie is an if-it-feels-good-do-it free spirit who is dating Sukie (Beanie Feldstein), a cop, but cheats on her all the time. Marian is serious — Jamie would say uptight — and hasn’t had a relationship since she and a partner broke up a long time ago.

Events conspire, as they often do in Coen brothers and Coen-brothers-adjacent films, to upend their lives. Soon Jamie and Marian are on a long drive to Florida, an angry Sukie left behind. They’re to deliver a car in what is a straight shot on the interstate, but thanks to Jamie’s adventurous spirit and occasional lack of good sense, they end up taking a few detours and back roads.

Which is a good thing, because unbeknownst to Jamie and Marian, The Chief (Colman Domingo) and his thugs (C.J. Wilson and Joey Slotnick) want what’s hidden in the trunk of the car. What follows is a mismatched buddy road-trip comedy with a fairly high body count. Two such comedies, really — the thugs bicker constantly about the importance of enjoying life, of putting yourself out there.

Who is in the cast of 'Drive-Away Dolls?'

Every so often trippy, psychedelic dream-like sequences appear, with an uncredited Miley Cyrus at their center. It seems incidental to the plot, but then so do a lot of things. There’s a lot going on here. All will be revealed by the end, though don’t confuse that with everything adding up. Along the way there are cameos by actors like Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, the great Bill Camp and more.

In true Coen fashion, most of the characters, Jamie especially, never miss the chance to use 20 or 30 words when two or three would do. Qualley’s performance — the syrup-thick hillbilly accent wrapped around Byzantine dialogue — can’t help but recall “Raising Arizona,” the Coen brothers’ brilliant 1987 film. This, as Jamie might say, ain’t that (though she would use a lot more words to say it). While “Drive-Away Dolls” is a literal journey, it doesn’t have the sense of reaching its destination in the same way.

It’s not a road to nowhere — it’s better than that. But it’s also not the joy ride it could have been.

'Drive-Away Dolls' 3.5 stars

Great ★★★★★ Good ★★★★

Fair ★★★ Bad ★★ Bomb ★

Director: Ethan Coen.

Cast: Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein.

Rating: R for crude sexual content, full nudity, language and some violent content.

How to watch: In theaters Friday, Feb. 23.

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Reach Goodykoontz at bill.goodykoontz@arizonarepublic.com. Facebook: facebook.com/GoodyOnFilm. X: @goodyk. Subscribe to the weekly movies newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: 'Drive-Away Dolls' review: Fun, but missing the Coen brothers magic