In the "Bleacher Bums" tradition, "Chicago Cab" is a scrappy and unsettling glimpse of a cross-section of Chicagoans.
Adapted from "Hellcab", a long-running play here, this indie film follows the scattered route of one Chicago cabbie on a 14-hour stretch during the Christmas holidays. It's alternately frightening, sad, funny and crazy -- like the cross-section of passengers that hop into the back seat of a cab. A popular player at the Chicago International Film Festival, "Chicago Cab" is the kind of quirky oddity that will travel far on the film-festival circuit.
This filmic odyssey transports us from the Gold Coast of North Michigan Avenue to the most ravaged sections of the South Side, as an independent cabbie (Paul Dillon) scrapes together the fares that make up his daily nonroutine. It's both a chilly and a chilling ride as the cabbie lugs the always unpredictable assortment of characters to their varied destinations.
To say the least, they're a wide assortment of types: a rape victim, a buppie lawyer, a druggie, a wacko, Bears fans, Christmas shoppers and a dipsy senior are among the personalities that crawl into his backseat.
Seemingly, it's true that people say or do anything in front of, or rather, in back of a cab driver -- as if he's not there. Nearly every type of human behavior and transaction (including sexual) is carried out in the vehicle's sticky back seat. Not surprisingly, this cabbie's slant on humanity is based on a wider range of types than, say, a Harvard sociologist's prismed perspective.
While screenwriter Will Kern has served up a varied and entertaining cast of back-seat characters, "Chicago Cab" is no mere novelty parade of oddballs and stereotypes. It's smartly oiled with some keen social insights and imbued with an emotional integrity that lifts this entertainment beyond a goon show.
In particular, we get to know the driver and we see how his job affects him. Overall, he is a kind if somewhat clumsy fellow who ultimately tends to take too much responsibility for his passengers' well-being. And we see that he is a lonely and solitary man, eking out his living in this last resort of a job in a strange city.
Although the lensing reflects a low-budget indie approach, credit co-directors Mary Cybulski and John Tintori for capturing the essentials of the many human dramas that unfold in this cinematic trek. Throughout, they delicately clue us to the cabbie's isolation, particularly with some deft, contrapuntal Christmas music.
Highest praise goes to Paul Dillon for his sharp portrayal of the cab driver whose well-intentioned actions mask his own inner loneliness. The fares are an overall hoot, particularly John Cusack as a shifty and sinister back-seater.
CHICAGO CAB
Greenlight Film & TV
A Child's Will production
Producers Paul Dillon, Jamie Gordon, Suzanne DeWalt
Directors Mary Cybulski, John Tintori
Screenwriter Will Kern,
based on his play "Hellcab"
Director of photography Hubert Taczanowski
Editors John Tintori, Mary Cybulski
Music Joe Henry, Page Hamilton
Color/stereo
Cast:
Cabbie Paul Dillon
Passengers Gillian Anderson,
John Cusack, Michael Ironside, Laurie Metcalf, Julianne Moore
Running time -- 93 minutes...
Adapted from "Hellcab", a long-running play here, this indie film follows the scattered route of one Chicago cabbie on a 14-hour stretch during the Christmas holidays. It's alternately frightening, sad, funny and crazy -- like the cross-section of passengers that hop into the back seat of a cab. A popular player at the Chicago International Film Festival, "Chicago Cab" is the kind of quirky oddity that will travel far on the film-festival circuit.
This filmic odyssey transports us from the Gold Coast of North Michigan Avenue to the most ravaged sections of the South Side, as an independent cabbie (Paul Dillon) scrapes together the fares that make up his daily nonroutine. It's both a chilly and a chilling ride as the cabbie lugs the always unpredictable assortment of characters to their varied destinations.
To say the least, they're a wide assortment of types: a rape victim, a buppie lawyer, a druggie, a wacko, Bears fans, Christmas shoppers and a dipsy senior are among the personalities that crawl into his backseat.
Seemingly, it's true that people say or do anything in front of, or rather, in back of a cab driver -- as if he's not there. Nearly every type of human behavior and transaction (including sexual) is carried out in the vehicle's sticky back seat. Not surprisingly, this cabbie's slant on humanity is based on a wider range of types than, say, a Harvard sociologist's prismed perspective.
While screenwriter Will Kern has served up a varied and entertaining cast of back-seat characters, "Chicago Cab" is no mere novelty parade of oddballs and stereotypes. It's smartly oiled with some keen social insights and imbued with an emotional integrity that lifts this entertainment beyond a goon show.
In particular, we get to know the driver and we see how his job affects him. Overall, he is a kind if somewhat clumsy fellow who ultimately tends to take too much responsibility for his passengers' well-being. And we see that he is a lonely and solitary man, eking out his living in this last resort of a job in a strange city.
Although the lensing reflects a low-budget indie approach, credit co-directors Mary Cybulski and John Tintori for capturing the essentials of the many human dramas that unfold in this cinematic trek. Throughout, they delicately clue us to the cabbie's isolation, particularly with some deft, contrapuntal Christmas music.
Highest praise goes to Paul Dillon for his sharp portrayal of the cab driver whose well-intentioned actions mask his own inner loneliness. The fares are an overall hoot, particularly John Cusack as a shifty and sinister back-seater.
CHICAGO CAB
Greenlight Film & TV
A Child's Will production
Producers Paul Dillon, Jamie Gordon, Suzanne DeWalt
Directors Mary Cybulski, John Tintori
Screenwriter Will Kern,
based on his play "Hellcab"
Director of photography Hubert Taczanowski
Editors John Tintori, Mary Cybulski
Music Joe Henry, Page Hamilton
Color/stereo
Cast:
Cabbie Paul Dillon
Passengers Gillian Anderson,
John Cusack, Michael Ironside, Laurie Metcalf, Julianne Moore
Running time -- 93 minutes...
- 10/20/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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