Dakota Johnson & Sean Penn’s Steamy Taxicab Confessions

Summary

• Daddio
  is an intimate character study with engaging leads having a lengthy cab conversation.
• A long conversation with raw, sexual dialogue may not appeal to all audiences, but Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn shine.
• Filmed with clever editing,
  Daddio
  offers a voyeuristic glimpse into personal struggles.

A troubled woman gets psychoanalyzed by a loquacious cab driver on a long, late-night ride home from New York City’s JFK airport in Daddio. Which can best be described as an artsy and well-acted version of HBO’s lurid Taxicab Confessions, where passengers got down and dirty revealing all to an inquisitive stranger. Stars Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn are magnetic in a near two-hour conversation that pretty much takes place in real time. What begins as idle chatter takes a remarkably personal turn when closet secrets are released. The tantalizing bits go overboard and are somewhat contrived but accomplish their salacious goals.

A woman (Johnson) in Doc Martens boots and a stylish leather jacket pulls her luggage to the taxi line at JFK airport. Fate puts her in Clark’s (Penn) cab; he’s a veteran driver who’s seen and interacted with all types of people over many years. She lives in bustling midtown Manhattan. That should be an easy 30-minute ride at this time of night. Clark initially engages in polite banter as they leave. What’s your name? Where are you coming from?

The woman smiles when Clark calls her a veteran New Yorker, even though she was born and grew up somewhere else. His interest increases when she tells him her profession. She’s beautiful, most men would never guess her job. The woman agrees and doesn’t take his remark as a slight. Clark’s right, people look at her and make snap judgments. He thanks her for talking to him and being friendly. Most riders are just glued to their cell phones.

Taxicab Confessions

Daddio

3.5/5

A woman gets into a taxi at New York airport and gradually tells the driver about her unfortunate decisions that led to an affair with a married man; the driver also reveals more and more about his life.

Release Date June 28, 2024

Director Christy Hall

Runtime 1h 41m

Writers Christy Hall

Studio Creative Artists Agency, TeaTime Pictures

Distributor(s) Sony Pictures Classics

Pros

• An intimate and unflinchingly honest character study with two great leads.
• Deft editing and cinematography, and complicated psychosexual themes, keeps Daddio moving.

Cons

• Ultimately, it’s still just a conversation in a car.

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Like clockwork, her cell phone erupts with a barrage of text messages. Clark can see that her demeanor has changed. He makes a sharp observation that hits a bullseye. The woman begins to slowly open up as the car gets stalled in traffic. There’s a set fee for their ride to Manhattan. She’s got time to be honest without paying a fortune. His laughter disarms them both, leading to a frank, intimate discourse that peels back many layers and is deeply affecting for the characters.

Writer/director Christie Hall (I Am Not Okay with This) is razor-sharp in her feature film debut. She crafts her characters as mature and developed from the open. The woman and driver aren’t flippant in dropping saucy details about their lives. There’s a methodical escalation to guards being dropped. No one automatically blabs their troubles to a random stranger. The woman and driver engage in a back and forth that shows each character has thoughtful insight. They say things that strike a nerve. Hall offers a specific scenario that triggers a certain response.

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It’s no surprise that Daddio’s base level is sexual. The woman’s phone becomes a third character chock-full of racy surprises. The rub is that Clark has seen her predicament before. She can be truthful about her feelings without being labeled. This is a needed connection between the characters. The woman’s going through an extraordinary situation by herself. Its roots go deep into her past. Clark is akin to a therapist taking the weight of the world off your shoulders. He’s a sounding board of unvarnished opinions with no skin in the game. That changes as he senses the depth of her hurt and conflicted emotions. Clark can’t just remain impassive.

A Long Conversation with Two Great Leads

Hall at first depicts the characters’ interaction as front-facing and through mirrors. The woman is staring at the back of Clark’s head from the backseat through plexiglass. He sees her through his rearview mirror. Things change when he turns around to face her, and she leans forward to get close to him. A barrier falls between them. They reach a critical moment of personal space intrusion. There’s now a sense of comfort in a closed setting.

Hall achieves this feat with deft editing and camera placement. She also incorporates well-timed shots of what’s happening outside the cab. We see the splendor of the skyline, traffic chaos, and activity in other cars. These visual breaks are pivotal to preventing the action in the cab from getting boring.

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Johnson and Penn sell the drama with engaging performances. They are always believable and intriguing. Clark could easily have come off as a jerk. He doesn’t hold back once the batter starts to fry. The woman takes his commentary seriously, at face value, and without negative intent. The characters’ long monologues provide significant exposition. Hall’s script dutifully gives each actor time to shine. Their chemistry is the biggest part of the film’s success. It wouldn’t work if either were remotely unlikable.

Daddio won’t have universal appeal. It does run long with pacing issues. You’re literally watching two people on an extended car ride. The raw, sexual dialogue may also be a bridge too far for disbelievers. But as in Taxicab Confessions, which was recorded using hidden cameras and released with the passengers’ signed consent, it’s easier to spill the beans to someone you’ll never see again.

Daddio is a production of Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Projected Picture Works, Rhea Films, and TeaTime Pictures. It was screened at New York City’s AMC 19th St. East 6 as part of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Spotlight Narrative. Daddio will be released theatrically on June 28th from Sony Pictures Classics. You can watch the trailer below.

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