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UNIVERSAL

MOVIE INFO

Director:
Ethan Coen
Cast:
Geraldine Viswanathan, Margaret Qualley, Beanie Feldstein
Writing Credits:
Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke

Synopsis:
In search of a fresh start, Jamie and Marian embark on an unexpected road trip to Tallahassee but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals.

MPAA:
Rated R.

Box Office:
Opening Weekend
$2,404,330 on 2280 Screens.
Domestic Gross
$5,028,215.

DISC DETAILS
Presentation:
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Audio:
English Dolby TrueHD 7.1
English DVS
Spanish Dolby 5.1
French Dolby 5.1
Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French
Closed-captioned
Supplements Subtitles:
English
Spanish
French

Runtime: 84 min.
Price: $30.99
Release Date: 4/23/2024

Bonus:
• “An Ethan and Tricia Project” Featurette
• “Drive-Away Gang” Featurette
• “Road Trip Essentials” Featurette
• DVD Copy


PURCHASE @ AMAZON.COM

EQUIPMENT
-LG OLED65C6P 65-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart OLED TV
-Marantz SR7010 9.2 Channel Full 4K Ultra HD AV Surround Receiver
-Panasonic DMP-BDT220P Blu-Ray Player
-Chane A2.4 Speakers
-SVS SB12-NSD 12" 400-watt Sealed Box Subwoofer


RELATED REVIEWS


Drive-Away Dolls [Blu-Ray] (2024)

Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (April 17, 2024)

After 35 years together as arguably the most lauded directorial pair in cinematic history, Joel and Ethan Coen took a break from each other. In 2021, Joel made his solo debut with the well-regarded Shakespearean update The Tragedy of MacBeth.

On the other hand, Ethan went for something more comedic and tongue in cheek. 2024’s Drive-Away Dolls offers a semi-“grindhouse” effort.

Set in 1999, uptight Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) plans a trip to visit her aunt in Florida. Recently dumped by her girlfriend Sukie (Beanie Feldstein) due to infidelity, her pal Jamie (Margaret Qualley) proposes a road trip, partly because Jamie hopes to get her sexually oppressed friend to loosen up along the way.

They get a vehicle through a “drive-away” service, one that furnishes them with a car that someone needs delivered to a specific location. However, they accidentally end up with a ride meant for some underworld types, and when Marian and Jamie don’t get to Tallahassee as quickly as desired, the goons set out to track them.

Does Dolls need to take place in 1999? No, but this feels like a choice intended to echo that time period.

In particular, Dolls gives off an impression it wants to resemble a film made in the late 90s. Expect a pretty heavy Tarantinp vibe that embraces the period’s glib irony.

Of course, the Coens made movies in that vein themselves, so I probably shouldn’t paint Dolls as some obvious Tarantino wannabe. Still, the main “plot” feels like enough of a riff on Pulp Fiction to give me that QT impression.

Not that Fiction focused on sex to anywhere close to the degree of Dolls, though. Indeed, at times the movie feels like it exists mainly as an attempt to get lesbian canoodling in front of mainstream audiences.

Which seems fine, as there’s no reason lesbian eroticism shouldn’t enjoy as much play as hetero material. However, Dolls plays up this element in such an explicit way that it feels contrived.

Perhaps none of this would register if Dolls came across as a more coherent and compelling tale. Essentially a mix of Pulp Fiction and a “coming of age” story, the end result sputters.

Dolls thinks it's a lot funnier and more clever than it is. I might’ve chuckled lightly 2-3 times, but that became the extent of my amusement – and virtually all of the laughs come from Bill Camp’s deadpan performance as drive-away proprietor Curlie.

Instead, I found a mess of a story that revolves around various episodes without coherence. We get plenty of pointless scenes that drag an already nearly non-existent narrative to a crawl.

Boy, does Dolls stretch to fill its brief running time. Even at a mere 84 minutes, the movie comes across as padded.

Dolls hopes to keep us involved with a mix of celebrity cameos. I’ll keep those a secret, but Coen uses his long-established connections to bring a few big names into the fold.

These feel desperate, as if Coen knew Dolls lacked substance and hoped the famous faces would distract viewers from the inherently thin nature of the film. This doesn’t work.

Instead, Dolls winds up as a meandering and tedious mix of off-kilter romance and comedy. Not much about it succeeds.


The Disc Grades: Picture B+/ Audio B+/ Bonus D

Drive-Away Dolls appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie offered a positive presentation.

Overall delineation worked well. A little softness crept into some wider shots, but the majority of the film appeared accurate and concise.

No issues with jagged edges or moiré effects appeared. Both edge haloes and source flaws also failed to create distractions.

Colors tended toward a semi-garish vibe, with an emphasis on greens, oranges and teals. These worked fine within the design choices.

Blacks felt deep and dense, while low-light shots offered appealing clarity. The image fared well.

In addition, the film’s Dolby TrueHD 7.1 mix managed a lot of pep. Road scenes became immersive, as did a few with weather or at a dog track.

Occasional trippy flashbacks cranked the soundscape too. Music spread around the room in a satisfying manner that helped make this a surprisingly active soundfield.

Audio quality satisfied, with speech that seemed natural and concise. Music showed fine range and fidelity.

Effects came across as accurate and full. The movie delivered a strong sonic experience.

Three brief featurettes appear, and The Drive-Away Gang spans three minutes, 11 seconds. It brings info from co-writer/director Ethan Coen, co-writer Tricia Cooke, and actors Geraldine Viswanathan, Margaret Qualley and Beanie Feldman.

“Gang” looks at story, characters, cast and performances. Don’t expect much substance from this fluffy reel.

An Ethan and Tricia Project runs three minutes, 27 seconds. It involves Cooke, Coen, Viswanathan, Qualley, and Feldman.

Here we get some notes on the screenplay and a few film concepts. While it comes with a few insights, “Project” nonetheless becomes too brief to tell us much.

Finally, Road Trip Essentials goes for a mere 57 seconds and features Qualley and Viswanathan as they offer tips for automobile journeys. It just becomes a promo piece.

A second disc gives us a DVD copy of the film. It includes the same extras as the Blu-ray.

A mix of glib comedy, Tarantino grindhouse and coming of age romance, Drive-Away Dolls fails to hit the mark. Even with a brief running time, the movie becomes a chore to watch. The Blu-ray offers solid picture and audio but it lacks substantial bonus materials. Ethan Coen needs to reunite with his brother to avoid more poor films like this.

Viewer Film Ratings: 2.6666 Stars Number of Votes: 3
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