I was quickly entranced by the idea of this film, especially two women on a road trip. It’s been done before but with the likes of Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon starring in the film, it made me intensely curious to see what the film would be like. As I watched the screening, I found Drive-Away Dolls is a trippy ride that explores female sexuality and is full of raunchy and wild laughs. 

Drive-Away Dolls is a comedy road trip film directed by Ethan Coen with Coen having written the film with his wife Tricia Cooke. The film follows wild spirit Jamie (Margaret Qualley) bemoaning yet another breakup, this time to Sukie (Beanie Feldstein) to her friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan), who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, Jamie convinces Marian to take a trip, delivering a car to Tallahassee but things quickly go awry as they encounter a group of inept criminals after a mysterious briefcase, leading the women to ask for Sukie’s aid but will she believe them? And will they manage to escape the criminals?  The film stars Colman Domingo as Chief, in charge of getting the briefcase and his crew Arliss (Joey Slotnick) and Flint (C. J. Wilson). The movie also stars Pedro Pascal as Santos and Matt Damon as Senator Channel.

Set in 1999, the film starts out with a punch. Right from the beginning, the raunchy and wild humor will make you laugh. The film begins with uninhibited Jamie cheating on her girlfriend Sukie and getting caught while talking to her on the phone. Marian helps her but is planning on going to Tallahassee. Jamie convinces Marian to drive there together and hijinks ensue from there. From wild nights bringing a girl back for sex and parties with college girls, the wild shenanigans from Jamie and the witty humor from Marian will make you laugh out loud.

One of the elements I really liked is the exploration of female sexuality as the pair are on different sides of the spectrum, Jamie enjoying freedom and Marian wanting relationships. Their friendship explores this aspect but also creates a romantic bond between the pair. The film doesn’t flinch at demonstrating sex between two women and freely exploring both the emotional side and the sexual side of both. The film also does a fantastic job of making the women the focus of the film with the men as side characters to their emotional evolution. 

Both Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan have quirky styles that resonate well with each other. The dialogue for Margaret Qualley is richly descriptive and raunchy and Margaret lets the words flow from her lips without missing a beat. Marian is far more highbrow, using rich language also and Geraldine Viswanathan is equally skilled with her dialogue. The chemistry between the two is boisterous and charming. They have a warm rapport that is infused with hilarity and absolute perfect comedic timing. Beanie Feldstein is hilarious as Sukie, especially when she eventually comes to their rescue. The criminal crew played by Colman Domingo, Joey Slotnick and C. J. Wilson, are hilarious. Joey Slotnick and C. J. Wilson give a great performance playing off each other with perfection. Matt Damon and Pedro Pascal have smaller parts but execute them well.

There are several psychedelic scenes that are meant to tie together what is in the briefcase to the current day. While I do see the reasoning for the scenes, I did find the scenes throwing me out of the main storyline and making me wonder what they meant. The scenes were too esoteric and while intriguing, didn’t advance the story that much. Much of the detail in those scenes could have been told another way. I did find they did add to the trippy quality of the film and the wild humor.

If you like lesbian romance and raunchy comedy, this would be perfect. It is a LGBTQ wild road trip that offers something different than the average road trip film. Both Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan are hilarious, their dialogue making me laugh out loud. The antics of the criminal crew are equally funny and Beanie Feldstein adds the perfect touch as Jamie’s ex Sukie. Both Jamie and Marian are a hoot and the film is a trippy ride full of wild laughs. 

Rating: 4.5 psychedelic scenes