Matt Damon’s Role In Latest Ethan Coen Movie Can Weird Out Even The Most Accepting Fans

Summary:

• Road movie Drive-Away Dolls is the latest directorial outing by Ethan Coen, formerly of the Coen Brothers filmmaking team.
• The film features Hollywood leading man Matt Damon in an outrageous cameo, playing an atypical role as a sleazy congressman looking to snuff out the films’ protagonists as part of a scheme to get rid of incriminating (and embarrassing) evidence.
• Damon’s gut-busting appearance is a testament to his many-sided acting range and is coming off of his earlier comedy film cameos, marking a welcome trend.

Isn’t it always a joy when a pigeon-holed star kills it with an against-type performance? Maybe it is, even if the turn in question is a bit too strange for comfort.

Case in point: Matt Damon’s newest acting outing in the crime comedy Drive-Away Dolls, the most recent solo offering by famed director Ethan Coen, who is no stranger to the genre.

In the film, Damon breaks away from his usual fare and appears in a cameo that can be deemed far out even by the standards of his earlier type-defying roles.

The 53-year-old actor is having a blast in the role of Senator Channel, a crooked Republican politician who is behind the movie’s principal conflict. Channel’s motivation for instigating the plot’s events is absurd: he wants the film’s heroes dead to cover up his ties to a particularly amusing piece of blackmail fashioned from his genitalia.

A flashback scene pairing Damon with fellow guest star Miley Cyrus then ramps up the ante, showing Cyrus’ character, Tiffany, in bed with Channel. This trippy moment has Tiffany taking advantage of the drug-addled senator, going below his waist to mold the aforementioned naughty bit of evidence in the likeness of Channel’s privates.

Needless to say, the role of Channel is quite a refreshing venture for Damon and is ridiculous in the best sense of the word.

Notably, this would not be the first time that Damon had fun with a special film appearance. Seasoned moviegoers may remember his earlier out-of-the-left-field cameo in EuroTrip as a demented punk rock singer who delivers several verbal low blows to protagonist Scotty. Damon also took slightly less crazy bit parts in movies such as Thor: Ragnarok and Deadpool 2, not to mention his strange leading roles in funny films like Stuck on You and Suburbicon.

If anything, these humorous exercises speak to Damon’s unique and varied acting sensibilities, showcasing his range and his affinity for weird and subversive projects. With Drive-Away Dolls now out, it is clear that his penchant for pleasantly offbeat roles is here to stay. “Glory Daze”, indeed.