★★★

Now here’s a film that hits the ‘D’ spot. Dildos, double-crossing, decapitation and…dykes? No. Dolls. Judicious executive censoring put pay to the original title. This is the long-awaited Joel-free feature debut of Ethan Coen. Joel broke free of the Coen brand with The Tragedy of Macbeth, now Ethan presents Drive-Away Dolls. It’s a fine enough title but of limited value as a forebear of the debauchery within. Of course, a film’s success is measured less by the size of its silicone penises than what the director does with them. Coen thrusts his front and centre, sex toy and emasculatory symbol alike. The frolics are raucously flippant. Sure, the film desperately wants for tighter and more incisive plotting but we can, at least, rely on Joel for that. Suddenly we see how the pairing adds up.