54255: Drive-Away Dolls

I remember the 1990s fondly. We'd just defeated international communism and turned Russia into a thriving democracy, internet tech stocks were going to make us all rich forever, and Mel Gibson wasn't problematic. Is it any wonder that the 90s have been plundered by starry-eyed nostalgia prospectors, eager to find joyful nuggets of pop-culture to take the edge off of modern life? Like Weezer dressing up in 50s sock-hop chic and singing about Buddy Holly with 'The Fonz,' there's always value to be found in the past.

Drive-Away Dolls finds some of that joy, which is not at all surprising considering that it was co-written and co-directed Ethan Co-en. Sorry, that should be "Ethan Coen." That name might be familiar to people who watched movies in the 1990s, as he was responsible for some big flicks of the time, perhaps the most notable and durable being the one-two punch of Fargo (1996) and The Big Lebowski (1998). Now, I'll admit that it's unsettling for me to see a "period piece" that takes place during my high school and college years, but that unease is no match for the ridiculousness of Drive-Away Dolls.

The narrative is based around the literal and figurative journey of two friends, Jamie and Marian, who wind up driving to Tallahassee together in a rented car (like you do) while being pursued by hitmen because the women have unknowingly taken a MacGuffin sought by powerful and corrupt individuals (like you do in a Coen brothers movie). It's one of those movies where protagonists meet quirky people along the way and quickly learn important life lessons while gaining insights into themselves. You know, like The Iliad, but replacing all the Greek warriors with a couple of women bickering through several states before slowly realizing they're right for each other. (Spoiler alert, I guess?)

Drive-Away Dolls isn't great, but it is very good and it is fun. The story is familiar, because it works; the dialog sounds like it could've come from a 20-something Parker Posey; and the tone is far lighter than most things with a Coen attached to it. Margaret Qualley, who has had quite the year, turns in a charming performance as the free-er spirit of the duo, while Geraldine Viswanathan shines as the buttoned-down control-enthusiast. Both actors do a great job of nudging their characters slowly towards each other along their arcs, and it's fun to watch them do it.

Meanwhile, they're being chased by an equally mismatched-but-perfect-for-each-other pair of goons, played by C.J. Wilson and Joey Slotnick (who brings his own 90s nostalgia to the party). Without spoiling too much of this movie that you probably won't see, the parallel stories of the girls and the goons are played off each other beautifully, showing the different sides of what are essentially the same dynamic, and how it can go either spectacularly right or wrong.

There are some additional bits of 90s fan service delivered through casting and easter eggs, and the whole gestalt of it all is rather enjoyable. Drive-Away Dolls is a fun ride that leaves long before it wears out its welcome, and is a great choice for anyone looking to dip back into those fin de siècle feelings (or experience them for the first time).