February 7, 2024
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.
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.