Daddio

Greetings again from the darkness. "MY DINNER WITH ANDRE in a NYC taxi cab." That's my description of writer-director Christy Hall's first feature film. Of course, that's an over-simplification, as her film deals with gender roles, socio-economic topics, and a big ol' dose of emotional baggage. It's what's known in the business as a two-hander. We have two characters and one setting and a whole bunch of talking. Casting being crucial here, filmmaker Hall did choose wisely with Dakota Johnson and two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn.

Johnson's character (billed only as "Girlie") arrives at JFK airport and catches a cab to midtown. She and the driver, Clark (Penn) exchange generic banter, but soon enough Clark breaks the barrier by stunning her with his analysis of her situation, based on observation skills honed through 20 years of driving a NYC cab. He's been around the proverbial block a few times and Penn is permitted to work in a monologue about his disappointment with humanity, commerce, and technology. We learn he views himself as a common man 'Vinny', and we learn she's a coder by profession - as well as a nail biter who's texting a mysterious man - a man not shy in pleading with her for a sext.

A traffic jam on the highway stalls the trip, but accelerates the conversation. Clark gets more inside info from the woman he's determined "can handle yourself", and their quasi - quid pro quo spills more beans than either would typically open up about in normal circumstances. Her recent two-week trip to Oklahoma was to visit her estranged half-sister ... a trip that holds yet another twisty secret that she's surprised at herself for disclosing. Clark is not shy about dishing out armchair psychology advice, much of it based on his own past mistakes. Cheaters, specifically the difference between adulterous men and women, is a topic close to both of these folks, and Clark rambles on.

Dakota Johnson (thriving in indies) is truly at her best when she has minimal dialogue, and much is demanded of her facial expressions and body language (this is a compliment). Sean Penn thrives in a role where he is doling out free advice, and keeping score based on personal details provided. These two actors are the reason this film works, however, it seems clear this movie fits neatly into a festival circuit, while likely having little mainstream appeal.

Opens in theaters on June 28, 2024.

Daddio is a story about a young woman who takes a long taxi ride from the airport to home with an older man as her driver. They both divulge personal anecdotes about their lives with seemingly no filter. At first glance it does not appear to be a great foundation for a film. However as the story progresses we find out that the young woman, (Dakota Johnson) who is never named, is involved in an affair with an older, married man. We also find out that the taxi driver 'Clark' (Sean Penn) has a fairly sharp focus on life and relationships after being married more than once.

They share details about their lives, taking turns in a sort of competition about who can reveal the most inner secrets. Clark seems to have a very clear insight into how people work and explains to the woman that she is in a relationship going nowhere. She on the other hand, appears to probably know this, but maybe she does not care as the relationship suits her present needs.

Whether you agree with Clark's opinions or the woman's actions doesn't matter, what matters is how they interact in sharing their stories and what it says about human relationships. We see Clark as possibly not able to have a proper relationship due to his cynicism about people and his free spirit. We see the woman as never been shown love from her father, so she seeks it through sexual relationships, to the point she even calls her married lover 'Daddy'. She even maintains a memory of her own father, on the only occasion he ever touched her, which appears to be a false memory.

The entire film was shot in the cab, in real time order, with 90% of the film being closeups of either Clark or the woman. Sean Penn is his usual fabulous self. He's getting on now but plays the part of the older, possibly wiser man with great insight and delivery. Dakota Johnson is excellent as the woman. She displays a whole range of emotions and you can mostly tell what she's thinking all of the time. She does her signature biting of the fingernail but it doesn't seem cheap or staged at all. The pair of them had so much chemistry and acted in such an understated yet brilliant way that I want to see it again.

The photography was perfect too and apart from Penn's and Johnson's faces the only other shots were outside the cab watching it drive along the street.

Some might find it uninteresting because there's only the two of them, in a cab, talking for an hour and a half. I think it's storytelling at it's best as within the conversations are so many worldly expositions and many people might find many differing points of view. I absolutely love this film and I gave it a solid 8.

Girlie (Dakota Johnson) arrives in NYC at JFK and boards a yellow cab driven by Clark (Sean Penn). They have an intense conversation.

This is one of those two-handers. The actors are mostly in a confined space by themselves. Girlie does constantly text with somebody and that person is almost a third character in the play. It is a rich cinematic tradition with movies like My Dinner with Andre. In a way, this is more engaging since they start out as strangers. The audience is discovering them as they do. There are some great ups and downs in the conversation although one turn falters in my opinion. She is telling the story about her father and Clark doesn't push her at the end. Instead, he lets it float away. That is a human instinct, but for the drama, he needs to push. There are obvious implications and he needs to give them voice. It's also a time in the story where the tension needs to keep building all the way to the climax. In the end, they never considered what I was thinking and that's a little disappointing. The script seems to be smarter than that. Still, it's a very engaging ride all the way to the end.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. Despite being confined to the setting of a taxi, the movie never felt tedious. The storyline may not be to everyone's taste, but if you are open to a dialogue-oriented film and everyday themes, you can certainly appreciate what this film has to offer.

For me, it was an engaging film that captured a variety of themes: generational differences, digital versus analog communication, "daddy issues," and the importance of human connection, to name a few. Ultimately, the film thrives on the authentic performances of its two main actors. *Daddio* is a thought-provoking and intimate exploration of human connection that proves sometimes the most profound conversations can happen in the most unexpected places.

"Daddio" is a movie that tries to promote meaningful conversation, which is really needed in this day and age, but comes off extremely pervy creepy at times. But for all the pervy creepy moments, many of their conversations are sincere. Sean Penn delivers a great performance. Dakota Johnson does well in her role as the cabby's passenger. Their banter comes off as a natural conversation among two complete strangers. Some of what Penn's "Clark" tries to convey is meant to give much needed advice to a woman lost in a relationship going nowhere. At times, Johnson's "Girlie" seems to take that advice and immediately toss it out the window. Ultimately, they share a bond of two strangers who will probably never meet again, but both will keep the memory of the night's conversations in their hearts forever.

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