Taxi! Taxi! (2013) User Reviews

It was quite good...

[paul_haakonsen · 6/10 · 20 May 2023]

I have not read the book that this 2013 Singaporean comedy drama "Taxi! Taxi!" is based upon, so I don't know how true it is to the source material. However, as I stumbled upon the movie, by random chance here in 2023, of course I opted to give it a chance.

Writers Boris Boo, Lee Chee Tian and Violet Lai put together a storyline and script that proved enjoyable and entertaining enough, even for someone not familiar with the novel upon which the movie is based. I wasn't sure what I was in for, as I sat down to watch "Taxi! Taxi!", aside from it being a comedy drama, but I have to say that the movie turned out to be good.

The acting performances in the movie were good. I was only familiar with actor Mark Lee (playing Ah Tau). However, leading actor Gurmit Singh (playing Professor Chua) carried the movie quite well with his performance.

"Taxi! Taxi!" is a light-hearted comedy drama, where director Kelvin Sng manages to balance both the comedy and drama elements in equal measure. It is, however, at the same time also a rather spot on depiction of how Asian society is screwed together, obsessed with careers, income, status and saving face. And that makes "Taxi! Taxi!" a rather enjoyable and watchable movie on more than just one level.

I was genuinely entertained throughout the 93 minutes that "Taxi! Taxi!" ran for. And if you enjoy Asian movies, then I will say that director Kelvin Sng's 2013 movie is well-worth checking out.

My rating of "Taxi! Taxi!" lands on a six out of ten stars.

Comedy doesn't translate

[Leofwine_draca · 4/10 · 23 January 2017]

TAXI! TAXI! is a broad comedy from Singapore about the misadventures of a couple of taxi drivers and the family commitments to which they find themselves tied. It's a big step down in quality from the last Singapore film I watched, the excellent drama ILO ILO, and for a comedy film I have to say that I didn't laugh once. If you like exaggerated laughs and a brattish kid crying and screaming throughout then perhaps this is the film for you.

Me, I wasn't convinced. None of the characters ring particularly true and unlike, say, Cantonese humour, I found that the laughs didn't translate well to the west. They seem very obvious and unfunny to me. The main character is a sad sack who failed in his previous career as a scientist so who is forced to make ends meet as a taxi driver; this gives him a bitter personality. Eventually he sees the error of his ways when he befriends a rival driver. A lot of the humour is based around language barriers and the like, but as I said, it's not really for me.