Sean Penn Takes Dakota Johnson for a Ride

One thing that always confuses me about modern-day movies is why characters choose to take cabs when Uber and Lyft exist. Especially when the character is a savvy city dweller who’s clearly comfortable with their iPhone. It just doesn’t seem realistic.

But as the new film Daddio illustrates, there can be value in hitching a ride in a car where the driver and passenger know nothing about each other, not even the other’s name, and everything is left more to fate. Writer/director Christy Hall certainly uses that anonymity to her advantage as the film’s two characters find comfort in a stranger and open up to each other during a late-night yellow-cab ride from JFK airport to midtown Manhattan.

Dakota Johnson plays a woman identified in the closing credits only as “Girlie” and Sean Penn is “Clark.” It starts out as a pretty typical cab ride, with she occasionally checking her phone and him talking a bit too much as he begins his last fare of the day. “I run my mouth sometimes,” the veteran driver says. “I like to push buttons.” Is he sketchy or just being friendly? Will this be the longest cab ride ever?

It doesn’t take long for Clark to notice something about Girlie every time there’s a pause and she starts to look at her phone, though. She seems to be looking for legit conversation, an excuse to stop looking at her phone, and she may just need a little bit of saving, too. As he begins to share more about himself, she lets down her own walls and the two have what turns into a rather personal conversation about a variety of topics, including a couple of painful ones.

The movie takes place almost entirely inside of the cab, and despite that fact, cinematographer Phedon Papamichael finds multiple ways to shoot the two travelers that maintains the intimacy of the setting without ever letting it feel claustrophobic. The editing helps, too, since the film doesn’t stay on any one shot for too long, so our perspective is constantly changing.

And it’s worth noting that, given where they’re sitting, Clark and Girlie don’t face each other for much of the conversation, not to mention that there’s that barrier you find in many cabs, too. This blocking is a less than subtle metaphor that represents how both characters have kept people at a distance for much of their lives.

Not seeing your scene partner might be a challenge for some, but not the two leads here. At its heart, Daddio is a stripped-down actor and writer’s showcase, and both Penn and Johnson give nuanced, compelling performances, making Hall’s dialogue feel completely natural. The film is a legit two-hander — though her unseen, unnamed, married boyfriend becomes more of a presence as the film goes on — and it’s fascinating to watch as the two characters cautiously peel the other’s onion and reveal more and more about each other. Thankfully, the aforementioned physical wall is no match for the emotional connection these two build as they reach her destination.

You might think a movie set entirely in a New York cab would be a ride not worth taking. After all, as Clark tells Girlie early on, thanks to all those rideshare apps, “yellow cabs are like Blockbuster”: close to being extinct. But as this movie demonstrates, they can still have their charm.

I’m giving Daddio a B+.