Daddio

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.

There are a lot of elements of this movie that touched me. One is the familiarity and authenticity of setting- New York City's JFK to Manhattan. Familiar territory here and handled with realism. There has been a movement in film's post Covid to shoot small film's that are story, script, and actor driven-perhaps for budgetary reasons. This movie meets that criteria. Very much like this year's, His Three Daughters, the movie could easily have been a play. Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson are the entire cast and the stars. The film is founded on believing their relationship, and evolving familiarity, as cab driver and passenger. Very well done. Dakota Johnson really impressed me. While I know Sean Penn is a great actor, I had no idea Dakota Johnson was so good.

8.0 stars.

This is a film that everyone must see at least once. This is where you take your troubles and dreams and talk to someone you love and trust, and tell them about a person in your life called Daddio.

What a compelling story about a complex woman and a down-to-earth taxi driver. As they continue to talk, he pulls all of her sorrows out of her and it's all on the table for discussion and healing. But she is not just an ordinary woman, she's also a person of great empathy and she will win this game of honest discourse and reparation of the soul.

I was profoundly touched by these two wonderful actors.

"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.

#seanpenn #dakotajohnson #daddiomovie #daddio #movies #moviereview #sonypicturesclassics.

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.