Friday One Sheet: DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS

Here we have new key art for the Ethan Coen road movie, Drive-Away Dolls. The unconscious part of me felt that this movie already came and went without a whisper. In actuality, the film was pushed back until early 2024 due to the now finished SAG-AFTRA strike. 

Thus, new key art which is a solid, if not earth-shattering, use of 'fading roadside attraction meets vintage drive-in' signage acting as a marquee for above-the-line movie credits. Put that against a glorious open sky, and the minute two protagonists staring glumly into the truck of a bullet ridden car, and you have just enough subversion of expectations to make a compelling image. The akimbo Florida signage does a fair bit of the more subtle design-lifting here, while the large pointy arrow draws the eyes to both it, and the lead characters.

The road movie, predominantly in the 20th century, has been a cinematic vehicle for freedom and growth in America, but also a medium to showcase its dark side. It has also been a great framework for comedy, horror, satire, and tragedy. I am not saying Drive-Away Dolls is going to be all of those things, however, Ethan Coen has been trying to get this movie in motion for nearly two decades, and there have been a lot of, shall we say, engine trouble along the way.

Why does the movie need two taglines, though?  "A story of two ladies going south," is pretty succinct and clever; it is properly integrated into the signage. Below the credit block, "Buckle Up! Strap In!" is lame, redundant, and somewhat at odds with everything else in AV Print's design here.