'Drive-Away Dolls': The lesbian comedy from Ethan Coen

WORDS Jasmine Pirovic PUBLISHED Mon, 26 Feb 2024 - 9:18 am

This one's for the girlies who love girlies! The latest development in the land of lesbian films is doing away with all the pining and restrained affection, flinging off its girdle and hitting the road. Yes, dear pals, a lesbian road trip film is where we're headed, so strap yourselves in, it's going to be a chaotic ride.

Who's involved?

In the driver's seat is Ethan Coen, of all people. He's broken away from his brother Joel (the other half of the beloved Coen Brothers) to bring to life a script he wrote in the early 2000s alongside his wife Tricia Cook. While we're convinced that the lesbians don't need another piece of culture written about them from the lens of a straight white man, given Coen's track record we're allowing ourselves to be hopeful. So if you read this Ethan, don't mess it up!

Considering that the project has been in the pipeline for quite some time, distinctly naughties names like Chloë Sevigny, Christina Applegate, Holly Hunter and Selma Blair have all at various stages been attached to the film. However, Margaret Qualley and Australian actor, Geraldine Viswanathan, who you may recall from Bad Education and the upcoming adaptation of Cat Person, are set to take on the leading roles.

Rounding out the cast, is also an equally stellar ensemble cast comprising of Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal, Colman Domingo, Bill Camp, Beanie Feldstein, Annie Gonzalez, and Joey Slotnick. There also may be a Miley Cyrus cameo. Purr.

What's the plot?

So what's planned for this film? Besides the fact that it's no longer called Drive-Away Dykes, (it's now Drive-Away Dolls), according to The Hollywood Reporter, it's been billed as a "sex comedy" where a party girl drags her reserved friend from Philadelphia to Miami. On the road, the two cruise every bar they can and come across an unhinged lineup of obstacles that includes "a severed head in a hatbox, a bitter ex-girlfriend, a mystery briefcase and an evil senator". There's also whispers of a women's soccer team which would certainly complete the fantasy, if only be a touch on the nose.