If it weren’t for the glow of Dakota Johnson and the antique gold of Sean Penn, Daddio might be a bit of a yawn. Don’t get me wrong, the story is well done, but almost as more of a short than a full length film.
But the messages are definitely important and necessary. One: connect with humans you encounter on a daily basis. In Daddio’s case, Sean Penn’s the taxi driver who picks up Dakota at JFK leading to a very personal, balanced conversation.
Two: people can behave maturely and with kindness even if they disagree.
Daddio’s writer and director Christy Hall communicates that by disengaging from cell phones, connections and kindness can occur more naturally. I’ve thought often about fashion wear with messages (Jill Biden’s VOTE dress, for instance) and I’m hoping there’s a designer brave enough to make a trend out of garments with these ideas: PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE or MAKE EYE CONTACT or SAY HELLO or DO YOU KNOW YOUR DOG IS A BARRIER TO HUMAN CONNECTION? or HUMAN LIVES MATTER (anti A.I.).
But enough of my PSA, back to the film’s stars:
Dakota Johnson is as great of an actress as her mother Melanie Griffith, proof that actors’ children don’t always reek of nepotism. Since there’s not much to say about this film since I’m a no spoiler gal, let me recommend two other DJ films that do have fantastic screenplays: Peanut Butter Falcon and Cha Cha Real Smooth. DJ has a vulnerable empathy that captures one’s heart every time, including Daddio.
Sean Penn, need I say more? He brought the sexy back to middle aged men and you know why? He’s as intelligent as he is a great actor. Sapiosexuals know what I’m talking about. A man who has political passions (for the good of society, not narcissism and immaturity) is about as alluring as he gets. Even here with the imbalance of yellow cab driver vs. wealthy coder, Penn is far wiser than the stereotype. And in the other Penn movies to watch: while Milk was an amazing performance, I also recall turning to my friend Alice after the closing credits of 21 Grams and saying, “Just hand him the Oscar now, please”.
Since this is brief review, let me re-cap my top 5 films of the year this far, since the Filmspotting* podcast just aired theirs.
Movies I agree with them on*:
5. Love Lies Bleeding* (for those who liked Blood Simple)
4. Remembering Gene Wilder (for anyone with a heart)
3. Wildcat (for fans of Flannery O’Connor and Laura Linney)
2. Challengers* (for tennis fans looking for a good time)
1. The Dead Don’t Hurt (may I use an expletive to ask why this wasn’t distributed widely and for a greater length of time?)
