Drive-Away Dolls titled onscreen as Henry James' Drive-Away Dykes [ 5 ] is a American crime comedy road film directed by Ethan Coen from a screenplay he co-wrote with his wife Tricia Cooke , who was also the film's editor; the two also produced the film with Robert Graf and Working Title 's Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner ; it is Coen's first narrative film without his brother Joel , and his second sole directorial work after the documentary Jerry Lee Lewis: Trouble in Mind The film is followed by a continuation film Honey Don't!
Set in , the film stars Margaret Qualley and Geraldine Viswanathan as two lesbian best friends on a road trip who become involved in a criminal scheme. It received mixed reviews from critics. At a bar in Philadelphia in , a man named Santos sits in a booth, nervously clutching a briefcase. He exits in a hurry and is followed by the bartender, who murders and decapitates him in an alley. Elsewhere in Philadelphia, Jamie and Sukie are lovers whose relationship falls apart due to Jamie's infidelity.
After Sukie kicks her out of their apartment, Jamie learns that her friend Marian is planning a trip to Tallahassee, Florida , and decides to tag along. They head into a drive-away car service, where someone can transport a car one-way for another client. Due to a misunderstanding, they are given a car that someone else has already booked for a trip to Tallahassee. Moments later, a trio of criminalsβArliss, Flint, and Chiefβcome to the shop to pick up the car headed to Tallahassee.
They find that Jamie and Marian have taken it by accident, along with unspecified cargo that is part of their illegal dealings. While Marian wants to go straight to Tallahassee, Jamie constantly tries to convince Marian to loosen up by taking detours and trying to have casual sex at lesbian bars along the way. Marian prefers to read Henry James ' The Europeans but slowly comes out of her shell due to Jamie's prodding. When the pair finally enter Florida, their car gets a flat tire.
They open the trunk and find the briefcase Santos was holding and a basket containing Santos' preserved head. Jamie and Marian are followed by Arliss and Flint, who are led on a wild goose chase by a soccer team who had invited Jamie and Marian to a party.
