TIFF 2023: Daddio Review

This will be one of many reviews during this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.

On paper, a film about a taxi driver and their passenger riding around in a cab across New York City for around 100 minutes is a dodgy proposition. Add Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn to the mix and things definitely get interesting. The feature writing and directorial debut of Christy Hall, she imbues so much depth, nuance, and a surprising amount of hilarity as the cab ride becomes a rollercoaster that strikes all the right chords. A film about the power of human connection, it will quickly be easy to forget that the film is just two people talking in a taxi cab. Life isn’t always glamourous and neither was this though in the best way possible as the fact that it doesn’t feel like watching a film which should be seen as a compliment. Bringing a sense of grounded realism to the proceedings, the writing is a highlight but what truly brings the film together was the pair of spectacular performances from Johnson and Penn. It takes a lot to carry a film whose premise is so simple, however, they take it to another level. 

As mentioned, Daddio is basically two characters in a taxi cab rolling across New York City and that ride started at JFK when a woman (Johnson) got into a yellow cab driven by a driver named Clark (Penn). While most people wouldn’t pay any attention to their taxi driver and bury themselves in their smartphones, that was exactly how their interaction started. That being said, there was something different about Clark that made it easy to open up to him. Starting off as small talk, the woman remained reserved but the longer they spent together, the more she was willing to open up. As each talked about their lives and their experiences, it nicely sets the stage for a fascinating dynamic between two different generations. Watching that dynamic evolve and that gap narrow was easily the best part of the film as Clark and the woman essentially go back and forth. The longer they went, the deeper their conversation got, sometimes hitting some uncomfortable territory. The more they talked, the more they connected. In the end, they were seemingly at the right place at the right time for each other.

The best part of Daddio is of course the spectacular performances of Johnson and Penn. Their chemistry makes this two-hander character piece truly come to life. A testament of their ranges, they are more than up to the task of going wherever the material takes them. Each create fully-realized and likeable characters that may come from different walks of life and are engaging to watch as they both bring something different but still valuable to the table. Meanwhile, the star power of Johnson and Penn didn’t hurt either.

At the end of the day, Daddio is a daring film that pulls out a thrilling emotional roller coaster out of such a simple premise through strong writing and spectacular performances. 

*still courtesy of TIFF*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.