Ethan Coen, one half of the Coen Brothers, went solo with his 2024 new movie, Drive-Away Dolls, a comedy caper with an all-star cast.
The Coen brothers are an iconic Hollywood duo, but they've been working on their own stuff recently. Drive-Away Dolls marks the first narrative feature that Ethan has directed on his own, while in 2021 Joel Coen went solo with The Tragedy of MacBeth starring Denzel Washington and Frances McDormand.
A reason for the two going off on their own is because Ethan Coen had reportedly taken a break from movies in the late 2010s and early 2020s. So Drive-Away Dolls marks a return for the heralded filmmaker to the big screen.
Whether or not that means we may be getting another Coen brother movie at any time in the near future is something we don't have any details on. But it is great that we're getting original work from both brothers, even if separate.
Let's take a lot at everything we know about Drive-Away Dolls.
How to watch Drive-Away Dolls
Drive-Awa Dolls is playing in select movie theaters, but is also available to rent via digital on-demand in the US.
Drive-Away Dolls plot
Here is the official synopsis for Drive-Away Dolls from Focus Features:
"This comedy caper follows Jamie, an uninhibited free spirit bemoaning yet another breakup with a girlfriend, and her demure friend Marian who desperately needs to loosen up. In search of a fresh start, the two embark on an impromptu road trip to Tallahassee, but things quickly go awry when they cross paths with a group of inept criminals along the way."
Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke co-wrote the script. Coen and Cooke are married, with Cooke having previously worked as an editor on previous Coen brothers movies, including O Brother, Where Are Thou? and The Man Who Wasn't There, as well as other movies like The Notorious Bettie Page and Solitary Man.
Drive-Away Dolls cast
An enticing ensemble of actors are set to star in Drive-Away Dolls.
Leading the way are Margaret Qualley (Maid, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood) as the free-spirited Jamie and Geraldine Viswanathan (Miracle Workers, Blockers) as the more demure Marian.
Some other big names that are part of the cast are Beanie Feldstein (Booksmart, Lady Bird) as cop Sukie who helps Jamie and Marian, Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us, The Mandalorian) as Santos, Colman Domingo (Fear the Walking Dead, Candyman) as the criminal chasing Jamie and Marian, Bill Camp (Boston Strangler, The Queen's Gambit) as Curlie and Matt Damon (AIR, The Martian) in an as yet unspecified role.
Drive-Away Dolls review
Read WTW's Drive-Away Dolls review to find out what we thought of Ethan Coen's first solo outing.
General critical consensus is positive for the movie, as it has a 63% "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Drive-Away Dolls trailer
Watch the Drive-Away Dolls trailers right here:
Ethan Coen movies
Though not officially credited as a co-director until 2004's The Ladykillers, it is widely understood that Ethan and Joel Coen were a team from the get go, as they wrote and directed movies like Blood Simple, Barton Fink, Fargo, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men and A Serious Man. That collaboration has resulted in 15 Oscar nominations and four wins.
Here is a breakdown of all the feature movies that Ethan Coen has been involved with in his career:
- Blood Simple (1984)
- Raising Arizona (1987)
- Miller's Crossing (1990)
- Barton Fink (1991)
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
- Fargo (1996)
- The Big Lebowski (1998)
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
- Intolerable Cruelty (2003)
- The Ladykillers (2004)
- Paris, je t'aime (2006)
- No Country for Old Men (2007)
- Burn After Reading (2008)
- A Serious Man (2009)
- True Grit (2010)
- Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
- Hail, Caesar (2016)
- The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
