Daddio (film)

Daddio
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChristy Hall
Written byChristy Hall
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyPhedon Papamichael
Edited byLisa Zeno Churgin
Music byDickon Hinchliffe
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics
Release dates
  • September 1, 2023 (2023-09-01) (Telluride)
  • June 28, 2024 (2024-06-28) (United States)
Running time
101 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.9 million[2]

Daddio is a 2023 American drama film produced, written and directed by Christy Hall. It stars Dakota Johnson (who also produced) as a young woman returning home to Midtown Manhattan from JFK International Airport[3] by cab after a trip, who unexpectedly ends up conversing with her taxi driver (Sean Penn).

After premiering at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2023, Daddio was released in select cinemas in the United States and Canada by Sony Pictures Classics on June 28, 2024.[4]

Plot

Thirty-something Girlie, upon her JFK arrival, hails a taxi to her Manhattan apartment. She and her middle-aged cabbie Clark unexpectedly have honest dialogue on many subjects.

After a few minutes, Clark monologues about globalization worsening the world. What is considered valuable has changed, such as money: value has passed, from salt, to gold, to paper, to plastic, and now everything is virtual. The same is true with technology: taxis such as yellow cabs are becoming obsolete and exchanged for apps and eventually will phase out humans.

Girlie asks the cabbie his name, then Clark very decidedly describes her. He sees she is a New Yorker by how she carries herself and dresses, how she looks him in the eye fearlessly, saying her destination decidedly. Not fastening her seatbelt and turning off the touristy video upon entering also shows this.

After a dissatisfying message interaction with a male, Girly is drawn into conversation with Clark. She tells him about being from a small Oklahoma town, a nine-year New Yorker and programmer.

Clark is from the once-called Hell's Kitchen. The now gentrified area, more or less where she lives, was working class with drugs and prostitutes. Clark later moved to a house in Jackson Heights, Queens.

The taxi hits a traffic jam due to a car accident, so Girlie again checks her phone. The man has left her a string of comments. When Girlie tells him that her trip to Oklahoma was hard, he again switches to sexual innuendo, disgusting her with a dick pic.

As Clark asks about Girlie's Oklahoma trip, she gladly puts down the phone and tells him about her older half sister. Although Girlie calls her a bitch, they enjoyed their two-week visit. As children, her 11-years-older sister would torment her by tying her ankles and wrists so she would figure out how to escape.

Clark turns to give Girlie his full attention. He asks her age, which she refuses to reveal, reminding him women are treated differently once their age is known. Clark conceeds her point, then asks if she has a significant other. When Girlie is vague, he immediately concludes she is seeing a married man.

Girlie admits the man is married, Clark then insists she never say she loves him. At first, she does not admit it but then later concedes. Clark insists she made a big mistake, as her married man only wants sex and will never leave his wife, which she must accept.

Clark says men just want dumb women who give them dirty sex. Girlie insists all men are not like that. Clark concedes there might be some exceptions, but ultimately men strive to achieve as much as possible to increase status amongst men.

Asking how they met, Clark correctly deduces the man gave Girlie a card, so she made the first move. He suggests she cut him loose, as they have no future. Clark correctly guesses they have a daddy-daughter dynamic.

Clark asks Girlie what she knows about the man's family. She has never met any of them, but saw a photo of his wife, and he often shares photos and videos of his three kids. Clark is surprised, saying he has let her in more than usual, but no more.

Girlie describes when her sister and she left home. She was six and her sister 17. Their father, who had never touched her, shook Girlie's hand to say goodbye.

Girlie and Clark share their bucket lists. He later describes how he met his first wife and their relationship. Clark tells her it is her turn to tell a story.

At Girlie’s visit at her sister's, they drank constantly, then reminisced. This includes her being tied in the tub. Strangely, Girlie and her sister remember their departure differently, her sister contends their dad never shook Girlie's hand.

Flying to Oklahoma right after discovering she was pregnant, upon landing Girlie immediately started bleeding. The miscarriage-period lasted the whole visit. At her sister's partner Eagle's rain dance, Girlie quietly prayed to be cleaned. The next morning, the bleeding stopped.

Clark declares Girlie has "won". After she quietly tips him $500, they have a teary goodbye, having connected deeply on the journey.

Cast

Production

The film was originally conceived as a stage play in New York City.[3] In October 2017, it was announced that Daisy Ridley would star in the film, based on a spec script by Christy Hall.[6] That December, the script was included on that year's "Black List" of the most-liked unproduced scripts in Hollywood.[7] In June 2021, it was announced that Johnson had replaced Ridley and that Penn was also cast in the film.[8][9] Johnson was the one to initially suggest Penn and personally sent him the script.[10]

Principal photography occurred in New York City and in Jersey City, New Jersey, in December 2022.[11] It was shot in 16 days.[3] The film entered post-production in January 2023.[12]

All scenes taking place within the cab were shot on a sound stage using on-set virtual production, consisting of large LED video screens on which digital environments were rendered. The actors performed in front of the screens in real time.[10]

Release

Daddio premiered at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on September 1, 2023.[13] It also screened at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2023, as part of its special screening program.[14][1] Later that month, Sony Pictures Classics acquired distribution rights to the film for North and Latin America as well as some European and Asian territories, scheduling it for a theatrical release sometime in 2024.[15] It was released in the United States and Canada on June 28, 2024.[16][17][4]

Daddio was released in Germany June 27, and in Argentina June 28, 2024. The film was scheduled to be released in Russia and the CIS on July 11, 2024.[4]

Reception

Box office

In the United States and Canada, the film made $424,091 from 628 theaters in its opening weekend.[18]

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 76% of 113 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's consensus reads: "A ruminative chamber piece on wheels, Daddio feels expansive thanks to Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn's compelling rapport."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 62 out of 100, based on 25 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[20]

Peter DeBruge of Variety gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Every aspect of Daddio is designed to spark conversation. But it’s sweeter and more satisfying than you might expect..."[21] Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a positive review, calling it "A deftly executed debut feature."[22] Todd McCarthy of Deadline Hollywood also gave the film a positive review and wrote, "Sean Penn is at his absolute best here in a tremendously engaging performance as a salty working-class guy with an endless supply of opinions and ways of drawing out his passengers, while Dakota Johnson more than holds her own as a game passenger increasingly willing to share her problems with the amateur shrink behind the wheel."[23]

References

  1. 1 2 "Daddio". Toronto International Film Festival. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Daddio". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 2, 2024. Retrieved September 13, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 "Sean Penn takes Dakota Johnson for a fateful cab ride in 'Daddio' first look". Entertainment Weekly.
  4. 1 2 3 "Daddio (2024)". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  5. ↑ Tallerico, Brian (September 15, 2023). "TIFF 2023: Woman of the Hour, Daddio, The New Boy". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  6. ↑ Kroll, Justin (October 3, 2017). "Daisy Ridley to Star in Drama 'Daddio' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  7. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (December 11, 2017). "The Black List 2017 Screenplays: Post-WWII Tale 'Ruin' Is No. 1 – Full Rankings". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  8. ↑ Kroll, Justin (June 16, 2021). "Dakota Johnson And Sean Penn To Star In Christy Hall's 'Daddio'–Hot Cannes Package". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  9. ↑ Sneider, Jeff (June 16, 2021). "Dakota Johnson Replaces Daisy Ridley in Indie Movie 'Daddio' Starring Sean Penn". Collider. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  10. 1 2 Nemiroff, Perri (September 17, 2023). "'Daddio' Is the First Grounded Drama to Use 'Mandalorian' Technology". Collider. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  11. ↑ Lissner, Caren (December 21, 2022). "Sean Penn And Dakota Johnson Shooting Movie 'Daddio' In Hoboken". Patch. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  12. ↑ Kroll, Justin (January 26, 2023). "Blake Lively & Justin Baldoni To Star In 'It Ends With Us'; Baldoni Also Directing Sony And Wayfarer Studios' Adaptation Of Colleen Hoover Novel". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
  13. ↑ Davis, Clayton (August 30, 2023). "Telluride Lineup Includes World Premieres of 'Saltburn,' 'The Bikeriders' and 'Rustin' With Tributes for Yorgos Lanthimos and Wim Wenders". Variety. Retrieved August 30, 2023.
  14. ↑ Vlessing, Etan (August 10, 2023). "Jenna Ortega's Finestkind, Dakota Johnson's Daddio Added to Toronto Film Fest Lineup". The Hollywood Reporter. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on August 10, 2023.
  15. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 21, 2023). "Sony Pictures Classics Hails Ride With 'Daddio,' Christy Hall's Telluride Toronto Fest Preem: Sean Penn & Dakota Johnson On JFK Yellow Cab Ride". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Daddio". Sony Classics. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  17. ↑ Grobar, Matt (March 19, 2024). "Daddio Release Date Set By Sony Pictures Classics". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Domestic 2024 Weekend 26". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Daddio". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
  20. ↑ "Daddio". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  21. ↑ Debruge, Peter (September 3, 2023). "'Daddio' Review: Sean Penn Takes Dakota Johnson for a Ride in Bold, Conversation-Igniting Debut". Variety. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  22. ↑ Farber, Stephen (September 3, 2023). "'Daddio' Review: Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn Shine in a Taxi-Set Two-Hander". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  23. ↑ McCarthy, Todd (September 4, 2023). "'Daddio' Review: Sean Penn And Dakota Johnson Drive Breakthrough First Film From Christy Hall – Telluride Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
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