Philadelphia 1999. After Jamie (Margaret Qualley) breaks up with her girlfriend Sukie (Bernie Feldstein) she goes on a road trip with uptight friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan). The only issue is that the “Drive-Away” they have been hired to take to Tallahassee has some goods hidden in the trunk that some undesirable individuals are trying to track down. 

Originally named Drive-Away Dykes this is a wacky comedy road movie featuring a lesbian love story and a bickering duo of goons. At just 84 minutes long it is a purposefully scrappy feature that includes cameos from Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal and Miley Cyrus, psychedelic interludes and some interesting cuts between scenes. 

The whole endeavour is the brain child of Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke. Possibly the most unconventional husband-wife partnership currently working in Hollywood; they are married with two children, she is a lesbian, he is straight, they both have separate partners and all live under one roof. They met when Cooke took the role of Assistant Editor on the seminal Miller’s Crossing (my blog’s header image is taken from this film) and she later worked on a number of their features as editor. 

Anyone who has read my blog for a period of time will know that I am one of the biggest Coen Brothers fans there is. But as they have been on hiatus since 2018’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs I approached this different Coen family collaboration with some level of excitement. But whilst the quirkiness is 100% present the alchemy is slightly off and the result is rather a damp squib. 

The chemistry between actors is rarely present especially with the two main protagonists. In fact it is at its best when the two Goons (Joey Slotnick and C. J. Wilson) are bickering with each other whilst trying to track down Jamie and Marian rather than with our lead characters. The jokes in general are scattershot and whilst some components work those moments are fleeting and feel rare. 

The result is something that feels much less than the sum of its parts which is a crying shame. I suspect the audience that will find this a satisfying watch will be fairly niche. 

If you want to read more of my thoughts on Coen Brothers films check out this article – The Coen Brothers Retrospective