42 | FEBRUARY 22 • 2024 
J
N

WILD COMEDY RIDE, 
ELVIS’ QUEEN, FOOTBALL 
STUFF

Drive-Away Girls is a mad-
cap “road” comedy that 
opens in theaters on Feb. 
23. Here is the capsule plot: 
Sukie (Beanie Feldstein), 
a police officer and the 
lesbian girlfriend of Jamie 
(Margaret Qualley), catches 
Jamie in bed with another 
woman. Soon after, Jamie 
invites herself on a road 
trip with her friend Marian. 
Marian reluctantly agrees to 
stop at every major lesbian 
bar on the East Coast as 
they drive from Philadelphia 
to Florida. During the trip, 
Jamie gets the pair into 
many misadventures. 
The large supporting cast 
includes Matt Damon as 
an evil senator and Joey 
Slotnick, 55, as one of a 
pair of bumbling criminals. 
The film was directed by 
Ethan Coen, 66. Of course, 
he’s the brother of Joel 
Coen, 69, and, for decades 
the brothers made films 
together. Around 2018, they 
decided to make at least 
some films “alone.” In 2019, 
Joel directed The Tragedy 
of MacBeth “alone” and 
Drive-Away is Ethan’s first 
“alone” feature film. 
Drive-Away was co-writ-
ten by Coen and his wife, 
Tricia Cooke. They have an 
“interesting” marriage. Coen 
asked her out not long after 
she got a job editing film 
(1989) for the brothers. She 
declined, telling Ethan she 
was a lesbian. However, 
they clicked “anyway” and 
married in 1990. They have 
two children. During their 
marriage, they both have 
had other romantic partners. 
But their marriage, Cooke 

says, works for them and 
they are close colleagues. 
(For almost 30 years, Cooke 
edited Coen brothers’ films). 
On Feb. 23, Amazon 
Prime premieres a come-
dy stand-up special titled 
Jenny Slate: Seasoned 
Professional. Slate, now 41, 
began her showbiz career 
as a stand-up (2008) and 
has continued doing some 
stand-up. She also has had 
a few film roles (Obvious 
Child) and many series’ 
parts (Parks and Recreation, 
House of Lies, The Kroll 
Show). 
The bio-pic Priscilla will 
begin streaming on HBO/
Max on Feb. 23. It was 
under “my radar” when it 
opened in a few theaters 
last fall. Mostly very good 
reviews didn’t move many 
to see it. 
The film begins with 
the meeting of Priscila 
Beaulieu, when she was 14, 
and Elvis Presley was 24, 
and already a huge star. In 
1958, when they met, and 
flirted, Elvis was in the army 
and stationed in Germany. 
Priscilla’s father, Capt. Paul 
Beaulieu, was a career Air 
Force officer stationed in 
Germany. 
The film covers her par-
ents’ controversial decision 
to allow Priscilla, then 16, 
to move into Elvis’ grand-
mother’s home, very near 

Elvis’ Memphis home. (Elvis’ 
promise to marry Priscilla 
when she turned 18 was a 
big factor).They did marry 
when she was 18 (1967) and 
exactly nine months later, 
Priscilla gave birth to Elvis’ 
only child, Lisa Marie.
The film’s last part cov-
ers their rocky six-year 
marriage. It ended with 
both parties being serially 
unfaithful and Elvis far into 
the bad habits (overeating, 
drugs) that took his life in 
1977. 
Ari Cohen, 56, a 
Canadian actor with few 
American credits, plays 
Capt. Beaulieu. Another 
Canadian actor, Dan 
Abramovici, 30ish, plays 
Jerry Schilling, a close 
friend of Elvis. 
Larry Geller, now 84, is a 
film character. This Jewish 
guy was Elvis’ hairdresser 
for decades and also was 
his “spiritual adviser.” He 
says that he’s responsible 
for Elvis wearing a “Chai” 
pendant in the 1970s.
I won’t address the wide-
spread “Elvis is Jewish” 
story. Email me via the JN 
for my opinion. I will just 
note that Riley Keough, 
an up-and-coming actress 
and the granddaughter of 
Priscilla and Elvis, has real 
Jewish ancestry (paternal 
grandmother was Jewish). 
On Feb. 16, Apple TV+ 

began streaming a 10-part 
episode documentary 
titled The Dynasty: New 
England Patriots. The pub-
licity release says: “It brings 
together former quarter-
back Tom Brady, coach Bill 
Belichick and owner Robert 
Kraft, along with a wide 
range of contributors, as 
they give the definitive story 
of the team’s remarkable 
reign.”
As you probably know, 
Kraft paid for the ads that 
attacked antisemitism 
and all forms of hate that 
appeared during this year’s 
Super Bowl broadcast.
But let me end with a 
happy “footballish” foot-
note that proves you can 
find a Jewish connection 
to anything. I noticed that 
Travis Kelce (Taylor Swift’s 
sweetie) was surrounded 
by cameras at the end of 
the Superbowl, and he was 
so happy he sang small 
parts of two songs: ”Viva 
Las Vegas” (the theme for 
the Elvis movie) and “You 
Have to Fight for Your Right 
to Party.” The former was 
written by the late, great 
Doc Pomus (born Jerome 
Felder) and the late Mort 
Shuman. “Party” was writ-
ten by, and performed by, 
the three (Jewish) Beastie 
Boys. (Pomus and the 
Beastie Boys are in the 
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame). 

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

ARTS&LIFE

DANNYB/WIKIPEDIA 

Beanie Feldstein

IMDB

Ari Cohen

IMDB

Joey Slotnick

