The Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, have a pretty sterling pedigree when it comes to filmmaking—Blood Simple, Fargo, Barton Fink. As such, fans were nervous when the brothers announced in 2019 that they were going to start making their films separately. Would the movies still be good? Half as good?
The happy news: Joel’s 2021 film The Tragedy of Macbeth was a massive critical success, and now comes Drive-Away Dolls, the first narrative feature film from brother Ethan. Billed as a queer road-trip movie, Dolls stars Margaret Qualley as Jamie, a free spirit who decides to recover from her most recent breakup with a trip to Tallahassee. As one does. Things get weird when Jamie and her bestie Marian (Geraldine Viswanathan) tangle with some wildly incompetent criminals.
Several clues suggest that Dolls will be a good time at the movies. The story is based on a screenplay that Ethan wrote 20 years ago with longtime partner Tricia Cooke, who was editor on many of the brothers’ best movies. Ethan has described the new film as “filthy fun” in the spirit of previous Coen comedies like The Big Lebowski and Raising Arizona. The supporting cast includes Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, and Matt Damon. And the first official trailer, online now, is fantastic.
For a calmer movie-night-out option, the German drama The Teachers’ Lounge is finally making it to local theaters. A big deal last year in Europe, it’s up for an Oscar this year in the international feature film category. The reviews on this one have been intriguing. The plot doesn’t sound like much at first blush: an idealistic sixth-grade teacher tries to solve a string of thefts at her school.
But the script also operates on an allegorical level to explore themes of ethics, racism, indoctrination, misinformation, and our brave new world of relentless digital surveillance. It’s the classroom as microcosm—a societal parable dressed up as a psychological mystery.
For dramatic renewal of purpose, you may want to make a date for Bob Marley: One Love, the new musical biopic based on the life of the reggae legend. The film is framed around the creation of Marley’s 1977 Exodus album but also doubles back to his upbringing in Jamaica and rise to international stardom.
British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir has the title role and Bob’s son Ziggy Marley is on board as a producer. The director is Reinaldo Marcus Green, who made a great film in 2019 about Venus and Serena and their dad, with King Richard.
More movie reviews by glenn mcdonald
Quick Picks
Historical epic The Promised Land stars perpetually intense Mads Mikkelsen as a homesteader fighting corrupt 18th-century Danish plutocrats. Everybody hates corrupt 18th-century Danish plutocrats.
Superstar screenwriter Diablo Cody (Jennifer’s Body) is back with Lisa Frankenstein, a “coming-of-rage” horror-comedy based on Mary Shelley’s famous novel. 1980s goth girls! Victorian corpses! Jokes about The Cure!
In honor of Michigan’s recent college football champions, consider the Ann Arbor Film Festival Traveling Tour, an evening of avant-garde films presented by Duke’s Screen/Society series, February 22 at the Rubenstein Arts Center.
On February 24, the NC Museum of Art Cinema series presents the documentary Invisible Beauty, chronicling the work of pioneering Black fashion model and activist Bethann Hardison.
Heads up, nerds: The strike-delayed sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two is now scheduled to open on March 1.
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