Written by Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke, 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.

For in-depth thoughts on Drive-Away Dolls, please see my colleague Larry Fried’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Universal Pictures Home Entertainment brings Drive-Away Dolls to Blu-Ray in its original 1.85:1 with a terrific 1080p video presentation that shines a spotlight on this journey perfectly. The subtle facets of each location are always a treat under all conditions. The film has a natural aesthetic which is translated favorably on disc. The skin tones are natural with discrete nuances showcased well in close-ups and medium shots.

The presentation provides a stellar amount of depth on display, especially thanks to the photography of Ari Wegner. The image is textured and detailed with the warm color palette radiating off the screen. The film captures vivid colors within the locales, clothing, and production design, which you cannot help but delight in. Highlights are firm with no blooming on display. The black levels are deep and nuanced, but digital noise does crop up in a handful of moments. While we dream of this receiving a 4K UHD Blu-Ray, Universal has treated this one well on the format.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray comes with a Dolby TrueHD 7.1 track that brings this journey to life in a mighty way. The sounds of the chaotic moments on the road provide a robust amount of activity in the rear channels, and music and other kinetic moments add even more extra texture in the low end. The score from Carter Burwell and the soundtrack do a standout job of establishing the zany tone of the narrative. These elements fill the room in an enveloping way. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear without ever succumbing to overlapping voices or other environmental noises. Everything is mixed with purpose as directionality is carefully deployed across the channels. Universal has really come through for this one. There are optional English SDH, Spanish, and French subtitles provided.

Special Features

The Drive-Away Gang: A three-minute piece in which the cast and creative team discuss the drive to make this film, the atmosphere on set, the essence of their characters, and more.

Drive-Away Dolls – An Ethan and Tricia Project: A nearly four-minute featurette that takes a look at the collaboration of the main creatives, the long journey to this project, the experience of creating this film together, and more.

Road Trip Essentials: A minute-long piece in which Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan discuss the essential items they discovered are needed for road trips while making this film.

Final Thoughts

Drive-Away Dolls has all of the elements to be one of our new obsessions, but all of the individual details do not add up in the way that we wish they would. There are numerous amusing moments along this raucous road trip, but we do not find ourselves laughing at many things clearly intended to be jokes. We love Ethan Coen, the terrific cast, and the general “anything goes” quality of the narrative, but something feels a bit off in the alchemy. The movie is fine, yet it doesn’t live up to its potential. Universal Picture Home Entertainment has released a Blu-Ray that delivers a really good A/V presentation and a few brief special features. This will serve as decent entertainment for fans of the talent involved, but this is not the home run we hoped it would be.

Drive-Away Dolls is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD, and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Universal Pictures Home Entertainment has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.