Daddio Review: Sean Penn and Dakota Johnson Deliver Powerful Performances in an Emotionally Charged Drama

Daddio’ is both a meditative film and a dialogue that will remind you of scenes from classic films that have made New York an iconic film destination over time. Whether it’s the lighting, the set design, or the premise of a long, heartfelt conversation with the most unexpected person—a taxi driver—it’s more of a returning film that relies on interactions between characters technology-driven filmmaking tools. It really rides on the natural bond between Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn, leading to anything other than deep dialogue.

Girlie (Dakota Johnson) books a late-night cab ride from JFK airport to a New York address. He is from a small town in rural America, where he grew up, and recently returned for unexplained personal reasons. Taxi driver Clark (Sean Penn) begins by chatting in the expected ways—about app-based taxi services and credit cards without cash—but soon finds himself on a side that’s emotional and done smile expressed. Their conversation flows into the personal realm, touching on relationships, gender dynamics, memories of Girlie’s childhood and adolescence, and her intimate relationship with her aunt, and revealing a desperate need to people have relationships in a fast-paced city expressed subtly -as he does .

This may not be a movie for everyone, but it’s definitely for movie buffs looking for a story beyond sparkles and superheroes. The ‘Daddio’ is locked in the cab, but it never feels clingy or claustrophobic. It is personal that we often remember the past in our lives today. Johnson and Penn sink their teeth into these authentic writer-backed characters. With so many extreme close-ups sometimes focusing only on the actors’ eyes, it’s amazing to see both actors never stop striking and their facial expressions and reactions to memories are true and never excessive.