MARGARET QUALLEY (LEFT) AS “JAMIE” AND GERALDINE VISWANATHAN AS “MARIAN” IN DIRECTOR ETHAN COEN’S “DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS,” A FOCUS FEATURES RELEASE | PHOTO: COURTESY OF WORKING TITLE/FOCUS FEATURES.

The stars of “Drive-Away Dolls,” the new comedy directed by Ethan Coen, are effusive in their praise for the film’s host city.

“We genuinely had the best time,” says Beanie Feldstein. “It’s such a great city.”

“We love Pittsburgh,” says Geraldine Viswanathan, adding that Lawrenceville in particular is “super cute.”

Margaret Qualley goes so far as to call the Steel City a “home away from home.” And while some productions are limited to Downtown streets and closed studios, the road-trip comedy required lots of location shoots. “We were all over the place,” Qualley says. “We really got to explore — from one side of Pittsburgh to the other.”

In fact, that roaming shoot — held in and around the city in the fall of 2022 — led to the sole mild hardship the crew faced: Navigating our sometimes-confusing highways.

“That was the only thing about Pittsburgh that scared me,” Feldstein says. “On some of those bridges, I was like, ‘I’m new here! I’m sorry!’”

Of course, it wouldn’t be a road trip if nothing went wrong — and in “Drive-Away Dolls,” there are quite a few unexpected developments, from the madcap to the romantic. Co-written by Coen and Tricia Cooke, the film stars Viswanathan and Qualley as friends escaping to Florida to get away from their troubles (including a break-up; Qualley’s character has just been dumped by Feldstein’s). Unfortunately, they inadvertently pick up some highly sensitive contraband on the way, giving rise to a cross-country chase.

The results are hilarious — and feel like an instant classic, befitting the reputation of Coen and his collaborators. “There’s a level of expectation with these people involved,” Viswanathan says. “They have such an incredible canon of movies; this was a chance to be a part of that canon.”

“The expectations never got in the way of the silliness and the play,” Feldstein says. Her character, a spurned lover and a no-nonsense cop, steals scenes with untamed anger — a trait that becomes surprisingly delightful.

BEANIE FELDSTEIN STARS AS “SUKIE” IN DIRECTOR ETHAN COEN’S “DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS,” A FOCUS FEATURES RELEASE | PHOTO: WILSON WEBB/WORKING TITLE/FOCUS FEATURES.

She adds that becoming a “Coen cop,” in the tradition of performers such as Frances McDormand in “Fargo” and Holly Hunter in “Raising Arizona,” was a thrill. “In all of their movies, they have these epic supporting character roles. It’s a character actor’s dream to be in an Ethan Coen movie. To support these two on their journey as one of those iconic Coen characters was a true bucket-list moment for me.”

To Qualley, that Coen canon is its own genre — or, perhaps, the lack of one. “You can’t compare ‘Fargo’ to ‘No Country for Old Men’ to ‘Intolerable Cruelty.’ I was just so on board to do an Ethan Coen movie, a Tricia Cooke movie. I think it defies all genre — but at the end of the day, I do love a love story.”

LEFT TO RIGHT: WRITER/PRODUCER TRICIA COOKE, DIRECTOR/WRITER/PRODUCER ETHAN COEN, ACTOR MARGARET QUALLEY AND ACTOR GERALDINE VISWANATHAN ON THE SET OF “DRIVE-AWAY DOLLS,” A FOCUS FEATURES RELEASE | PHOTO: WILSON WEBB/WORKING TITLE/FOCUS FEATURES.

Love story, road-trip movie, crime caper — “Drive-Away Dolls” is all three, but always a comedy (albeit a dark one). It arrives in an era when daring comedies, including the new horror romp “Lisa Frankenstein” and recent critical hits including “Bottoms” and “Joy Ride,” have once again been released in theaters rather than opting for a streaming release.

And as Viswanathan points out, the communal experience is part of a good comedy. “Whenever comedy is in the theater, I’m happy. It’s just my favorite thing in the world, sitting in a room with people laughing. It’s so soul-affirming.”

“Drive-Away Dolls” will be released nationwide on Feb. 23.