A savvy young businesswoman gets into a taxi at New York’s JFK Airport. As the cab wends its way into town, she finds herself engaged in an increasingly interesting conversation with the amiable, streetwise driver. The conventional wisdom holds that talks with strangers can oddly be deeper, more revealing than
those with people we know. Ask any bartender. I mean, they’ll never see one another again, so why not open up? They do, and they connect.

You wouldn’t expect a movie that takes place almost entirely in a moving vehicle and consisting largely of close-ups to have any real suspense or depth. You’d be surprised. One reason this works is because first-time director Christy Hall has come up with a sweet, subversively brilliant script that avoids sensation and lets the actors get its subtle points across.

But the main reason is the spot-on casting. Dakota Johnson makes excellent use of her marvelously expressive features as she nails the sophisticate dealing with a few all-too-common relational
problems. And Sean Penn does some of his best recent work as the crusty cabbie with a heart of gold. Real chemistry. Many will identify with one, or even both, and relate to their humanity, their
candor.

Go see this little gem. You’ll be more engaged than you think, and it may even change you. And that’s what makes a good movie. Too bad about that dumb title. (100 min)