Dr. Cabbie

Deepak Veer Chopra (Vinay Virmani) is an eager new doctor in Delhi, India hoping to follow in his late father's footsteps. He emigrates to Toronto with his mother where his accreditation is not recognized. Her brother Vijay and his wife Rani are their sponsors. He befriends cabbie Tony (Kunal Nayyar) and becomes a cabbie himself. He starts treating many of his fares. He falls for coffee girl Natalie Wilman (Adrianne Palicki) and delivers her baby in his cab. Her playboy baby daddy Colin (Chris Diamantopoulos) is running to be mayor.

This is perfectly nice with really broad humor. It's a little too broad at times and a little too serious at other times. Vinay is a perfectly nice new actor. There are a few recognizable faces in the cast. This is all perfectly nice but it won't break through in America. First, the lead is a nobody. Second, it takes place in Toronto. Neither of which excites an audience. This may be a nice film but nothing exceptional.

I appreciated some of what the movie was doing... mostly, the basic premise that there are immigrants with advanced degrees who can't find jobs and are forced to become cabbies. But there is just so much cringe.

Dr. Cabbie's entire family was a caricature of an eccentric Indian mother and an eccentric Indian uncle. And the uncle's wife, whew; at least that was a little bit funny. The supporting characters like the new best friend Tony, the landlord, the landlord's daughter, etc. Are also all caricatures.

And somehow movies about South Asian immigrants always involve them falling in love with a white blonde woman. This movie is no different. At least Adrienne Palicki did a great job and she had some interesting things going on. There is a reason she's the only actor I am mentioning by name in this entire review.

The movie is pretty diverse and includes characters from diverse backgrounds, but it also seriously leans into negative stereotypes about these groups, which was SO CRINGE. And finally, it tries to make a heartfelt plea about how Dr. Cabbie is selfless and transcends race and religion and boundaries to treat patients; it made it seem like he emigrated to Canada out of the goodness of his heart, except no, he did that to seek opportunity for himself. If he truly cared about helping the needy, he was more needed in India than in Canada. So, don't give us that BS, movie.

Dr. Cabbie was an interesting movie that combined elements of Bollywood and Hollywood, swinging the audience in a number of exaggerated plot twists. I prefer my romance comedies to be a little more believable and could not help but be distracted by a few details such as voice- overs that were obviously dubbed in and Deepak somehow being given Timberlands to wear in jail. Overall though, the storyline was well thought out, the characters were a riot and the acting was strong throughout. Not a bad watch if you are looking for an easy laugh and an unrealistic plot line.Dr. Cabbie was an interesting movie that combined elements of Bollywood and Hollywood, swinging the audience in a number of exaggerated plot twists. I prefer my romance comedies to be a little more believable and could not help but be distracted by a few details such as voice- oversthat were obviously dubbed in and Deepak somehow being given Timberlands to wear in jail. Overall though, the storyline was well thought out, the characters were a riot and the acting was strong throughout. Not a bad watch if you are looking for an easy laugh and an unrealistic plot line.

Dr. Cabbie is an ambitious, earnestly written film with a thought provoking, culturally relevant premise. Canadians have often heard of the taxi-driving doctor, especially in the context of medical shortages, and this film attempted to address the issue in an approachable manner. It has all the elements of a classic story: the handsome, charming lead who just wants to help people, a beautiful love interest and single mother, a kooky sidekick and an evil villain with political ambitions. The story occasionally faltered (especially with respect to the politician's storyline and the scenes with him and his father) and it often went for the cheap laughs - slapstick and all - but Dr. Cabbie did so with such enthusiasm that one couldn't help but enjoy the ride!

Went to the advance screening in Vancouver and had a really good time. The movie is light and funny and had the audience in splits. I'd put this up there with the Harold & Kumar movies - zany comedies with no great intellectual pretences and made purely so the audiences can have 100 minutes of fun and belly laughs. While all the cast members including lead players Vinay Virmani and Adrianne Palicki do a fine job, the surprise package is Kunal Nayyar, better known as Raj. Big Bang Theory fans you're in for a special treat! The story takes the issue of non-recognition of IMGs or International Medical Graduates from many countries not being allowed to practice in Canada despite a shortage of doctors, head on. But mercifully it does so without getting preachy. While the presence of two artists of Indian origin may tempt people to think it will appeal only to a certain demographic, I think Dr. Cabbie is the kind of movie that will be enjoyed by ALL of Canada.