Peacock adds cruelly underrated Coen brother comedy that deserves a second chance

The iconic duo of the Coen Brothers, Joel and Ethan, have not made a movie together since 2018’s The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. To date their solo careers haven’t drummed up the same kind of buzz, despite both good work. That reevaluation should begin with Ethan Coen’s first solo outing when the underrated Drive-Away Dolls lands on Peacock.

Available to watch on Peacock as of June 12, Drive-Away Dolls returns to a major streaming platform after only being available to buy or rent via digital on-demand recently. The ease of streaming Drive-Away Dolls should hopefully give people who haven’t seen it a try, and those that maybe have but weren’t fans of it initially to give it another watch.

Directed by Coen, from a script he co-wrote with his partner Tricia Cooke, Drive-Away Dolls centers on two friends, Jamie (Margaret Qualley) and Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) who, needing a change in their lives, decide to drive down to Florida, opting to use a drive-away car service. However, the car that they get happens to be carrying something in the trunk that puts shady (but inept) criminals on their tail. Colman Domingo, Beanie Feldstein, Joey Slotnick, C. J. Wilson and Bill Camp also star, with cameos from Pedro Pascal and Matt Damon.

In my Drive-Away Dolls review, I said that the movie “offers familiar wit and eccentric characters” reminiscent of classic Coen Brothers comedies ultimately making for an entertaining watch. I'm not necessarily saying Drive-Away Dolls is quite on the level as a Raising Arizona of The Big Lebowski, but the movie does deserve better than the reception it’s gotten from general audiences.

On Rotten Tomatoes, despite a “Fresh” rating from critics, Drive-Away Dolls has a low score of 37% from audiences. I fully understand that the movie is a bit out there at times, may cross a line or two of decorum for some (though not any more than what comes out of Deadpool’s mouth in Deadpool & Wolverine) and generally may not be for everyone, but Drive-Away Dolls is too entertaining for such a low score.

I’d urge Peacock subscribers to give Drive-Away Dolls another try now that it is back on streaming (and nice timing with it being Pride Month). While the movie is streaming exclusively on Peacock, it is also available via digital on-demand if you’re interested. Drive-Away Dolls is streaming on Sky TV in the UK, as well.

Watch the Drive-Away Dolls trailer right here if you need any more convincing:

DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS - Official Trailer [HD] - Only In Theaters February 23 - YouTube

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