Written by: Christy Hall
Starring: Dakota Johnson & Sean Penn
Rating: [3.5/5]
Long car rides provide the opportunity for great conversations where you have the monotony of the road ahead of you and it gives anyone in the vehicle no other option but interact with the other people. The advent of cell phones have made it easier to ignore others, but Daddio presents what can happen when two individuals just speak their mind with each other. A simple premise and two-hander, this feature pieces together something wildly entertaining and a showcase for all involved.
Arriving at JFK International Airport and taking a cab to Midtown Manhattan, Girlie (Dakota Johnson) catches a cab ride from Clark (Sean Penn). On the ride into the city Clark initiates conversation with Girlie and while she has a text conversation on her phone she decides to engage as the pair discuss a variety of topics.
As simple as it gets, a cab driver and rider have a conversation, which may in theory not excite everyone but certainly presents an opportunity for talented individuals to shine and we got just that with Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, who each play individuals with their own scar tissue and plenty on their mind. Both in different phases of their lives but build a connection through their back-and-forth where lines get crossed, opinions get shared, but most importantly they have a reciprocal impact on each other. While this conversation does not change each other’s lives in a wholly meaningful manner, it undeniably leaves an impact.
Clark has worked as a cab driver and has been there and done that regarding everything in life. He’s been married multiple times, has kids, and has survived in the industry despite all of the changes. In regard to the world around him, he has plenty of thoughts including generations younger than him and especially women as he tries to psychoanalyze Girlie and the issues going on in her mind. He comes across in quite a forward manner but it all becomes part of the game between this pair as they get ever closer to Girlie’s destination.
The other fighter in the ring is Girlie portrayed magnificently by Dakota Johnson. Now, I have not always been the biggest fan of Johnson and often find her as a hindrance to her projects. I never have fully gotten “it” with her as a performer, but what she does in Daddio completely flipped the script and made me a believer. From her sly smiles, distinct looks she makes, and her line delivery here completely make the movie. While Sean Penn does great work as Clark this film does not work if not for Dakota Johnson as her arc throughout this film presents the more fascinating character exploration. Through Girlie’s conversation we also get glimpses of the text messages she shares with another man. This text thread, which contains mostly a man begging for her to sext him, becomes the focal point of the larger conversation she has with Clark as they discuss their relationships.
It remains best practice to try not to give away too much of what gets discussed here because the way they get revealed and discussed deserve to be experienced by audience members. However, the discussion about what it means to be “the other woman” in a relationship gets into some hilariously misogynistic territory but still manages to remain so enthralling. It serves as a fascinating discussion about not only sex, as a whole, but also the dynamics it therefore formulates between men and women. This section of their back-and-forth displays the very best the film has to offer as it serves as the most sensitive topic of them all.
101 minutes of two individuals in a cab talking about life and never once did it leave me bored, Daddio brings together two actors to put on a show in the way they drive home a conversation. So much praise should be directed towards Christy Hall who not only writes the film but also directs it. She etches together these topics and creates this playground for her actors to play in and make a meal of. Truly a testament to strong writing and acting, this feature proved to be quite the treat and it made me appreciate the talent of Dakota Johnson like never before.
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