Chicago Cab

Will Kern adapted his own play for this 1997 film directed by Mary Cybulski and John Tintori, which follows a cab driver (Paul Dillon) as he deals with an eclectic assortment of passengers during a long shift on the streets of the Windy City. The most intriguing aspect of the picture is the presence of a few noteworthy actors as some of the fares the driver has to contend with over the course of his run. John Cusack, who also was one of the producers, appears as a mysteriously silent man, John C. Reilly as a womanizing blowhard who is taking advantage of Laurie Metcalf’s naïve PR worker, Michael Shannon as a bellicose crackhead, Gillian Anderson as a foul-mouthed woman, and Julianne Moore as a self-described rape victim. Most of the cameos, however, feature actors as little-known as the nondescript Dillon. And while a few of the vignettes are briefly affecting, most are fairly dull and end inconclusively. Nor does the script reveal much about the driver until he shares an architect (Reggie Hayes)—the final fare of the night—his feelings of isolation following the recent death of his mother. One can imagine this succession of sketches working on the stage, but this adaptation, clumsily relocated to the actual city streets, covers many miles of pavement but ultimately goes nowhere. Not recommended. (F. Swietek)