Watch: Trailer Drops as Coen Brother Ethan Returns with Comedic LGBTQ+ Caper

Kilian Melloy READ TIME: 2 MIN.

Writer-director Ethan Coen returns, without his brother and usual collaborator Joel, helming a comedy that features Margaret Qualley as a lesbian protagonist who, with her best friend, crosses some bad dudes. The movie, titled "Drive-Away Dolls," has a new trailer that premiered Feb. 6.

"Drive-Away Dolls" is Ethan Coen's second solo directorial venture, following 2022's "Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind." IndieWire noted that Coen also "co-wrote the screenplay for the queer crime comedy with his wife Tricia Cooke," cooking up a caper that "centers on Jamie (Margaret Qualley), an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, who encourages her demure friend Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) to break out of her shell by way of a vacation."

The trailer shows Qualley's character slumped on a sofa, holding an ice pack to her face and drawling, "I've had it with love. I don't believe it's relevant to the 21st century lesbian."

Jamie suggests that she and Marian "get our act together... together" with a road trip to Florida. But things get wild as you might expect in a Coen Brothers – or Brother – production, as the duo "cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way," the film's logline summarizes.

Specifically, they end up renting a car with a briefcase full of... something... hidden in the trunk. Opening the trunk, the two stare in amazement before Marian glances at Jamie, appalled, while a smile spreads across Jamie's face.

Color us intrigued!

The film, which hits theaters Feb. 23, is a Focus Features release and features a panoply of stars in addition to Qualley and Viswanathan, including Pedro Pascal, Colman Domingo, Beanie Feldstein, Bill Camp, and Matt Damon.

Watch the trailer below.


by Kilian Melloy , EDGE Staff Reporter

Kilian Melloy serves as EDGE Media Network's Associate Arts Editor and Staff Contributor. His professional memberships include the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, the Boston Online Film Critics Association, The Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, and the Boston Theater Critics Association's Elliot Norton Awards Committee.

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