''Chicago Cab'' is a 1997 American drama film directed by Mary Cybulski and

John Tintori John Tintori is an American film editor and director. Among his editing credits are '' Eight Men Out'' (1988), '' Dogfight'' (1991), '' Mr. Wonderful'' (1993), ''Roommates'' (1995), and David Blaine's documentary ''Frozen In Time''. In 1997 he c ...

. It is based on the play ''Hellcab'' by Will Kern.

Synopsis

The film follows an unnamed taxi driver (played by Paul Dillon) over one day in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = List of sovereign states, Count ...

, shortly before Christmas. More than 30 passengers enter his taxi throughout the course of the film, providing brief looks into their personal lives. Among the actors giving cameo appearances are

Gillian Anderson Gillian Leigh Anderson ( ; born August 9, 1968) is an American actress. Her credits include the roles of FBI Special Agent Dana Scully in the series ''The X-Files'', ill-fated socialite Lily Bart in Terence Davies's film '' The House of Mirt ...

John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays '' Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his o ...

Laurie Metcalf Laura Elizabeth Metcalf (born June 16, 1955) is an American actress. Often described as a character actor, she's known for her complex and versitile roles across the stage and screen. She has received various accolades throughout her career s ...

Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, ...

, John C. Reilly,

Michael Shannon Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor, producer, musician, and theater director. He is an off beat actor known for his on-screen versatility, performing in both comedies and dramas. He became known for his frequent ...

Michael Ironside Frederick Reginald Ironside (born February 12, 1950), known as Michael Ironside, is a Canadian actor, producer, director, and screenwriter. He is known for playing villains and "tough guy" heroes, and has also portrayed sympathetic characters. E ...

, and

Reggie Hayes Reginald C. Hayes (born July 15, 1969) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for his role as William Dent on the UPN/ CW show '' Girlfriends''. Early life Hayes was born on July 15, 1969 in Chicago, Illinoisyoungest ...

Release and reception

''Chicago Cab'' had its premiere at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the compo ...

in October 1997, where it was nominated for a Golden Hugo Award. It was not released in movie theatres until September 18, 1998, when it played in two venues and earned $23,946. The film received criticism for having unrealistic taxi passengers, since all of the characters have an exciting story.

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

, however, gave it three stars out of four, saying "Drama is always made of the emotional high points."

Emanuel Levy Emanuel Levy is an American film critic and professor who has taught at Columbia University, New School for Social Research, Wellesley College, Arizona State University and UCLA Film School. Levy currently teaches in the department of cinema ...

also gave a positive review: "A compassionate portrait of a lonely cabbie is at the center of the serio comedy ... he passengershighlight perceptively the funny, scary and dreary moments in a typical working day of a city cab driver." ''Chicago Cab'' was released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...

on April 7, 2009.

Cast

* Paul Dillon as Cab Driver *

as Al *

as Female Ad Executive * John C. Reilly as Steve *

as South Side Girl *

as Scary Man *

as Distraught Woman * Moira Harris as Religious Mother * Darryl Theirse as X-hat *

Shanésia Davis-Williams Shanesia Davis-Williams (also Shanesia Davis, Shanésia Davis, and Shane Williams; born September 30, 1966) is an American actress who co-starred as Marissa Clark on the television series ''Early Edition''. Personal life Born in Detroit, Michig ...

as Lawyer * Matt Roth as Male Ad Executive *

Ron Dean Ron Dean (born August 15, 1938) is an American film and television actor. He appeared in films including '' Rudy'', ''Risky Business'', ''The Breakfast Club'', ''Cocktail'', '' The Babe'', '' The Fugitive'', '' The Client'', and ''The Dark Knigh ...

as Old Snack Trucker * April Grace as Shalita *

Harry Lennix Harry Joseph Lennix III (born November 16, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Terrence "Dresser" Williams in the Robert Townsend film '' The Five Heartbeats'' (1991) and as Boyd Langton in the science-fiction series '' Do ...

as Pissed Off Boyfriend * Kevin J. O'Connor as South Side Guy *

as Crack Head * Shulie Cowen as Stoner Girl * Andrew Rothenberg as Homer *

Tracy Letts Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for '' August: Osage County'' (2007), for which he received ...

as Sports Fan * Hubert Taczanowski as Immigrant * Tara Chocol as The Receptionist *

as Architect

References

External links

* * 1997 comedy-drama films 1997 films 1997 directorial debut films Films set in Chicago American comedy-drama films Films about taxis 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-comedy-drama-film-stub