D.C. Cab (1983) Universal/Comedy RT: 100 minutes Rated R (language, racial epithets, nudity, sexual references, some violence) Director: Joel Schumacher Screenplay: Topper Carew and Joel Schumacher Music: Giorgio Moroder Cinematography: Dean Cundey Release date: December 16, 1983 (US) Cast: Max Gail, Adam Baldwin, Mr. T, Charlie Barnett, Gary Busey, Gloria Gifford, Marsha Warfield, Bill Maher, DeWayne Jessie, Paul Rodriguez, Whitman Mayo, The Barbarian Brothers, Jose Perez, Anne DeSalvo, Irene Cara, Jill Schoelen, Bob Zmuda, Jim Moody, Diana Bellamy, Scott Nemes, Senta Moses, Denise Gordy, Alfredine P. Brown, John Diehl, Bonnie Keith, J.W. Smith, Dennis Stewart, Paula Earlette Davis, Michael Elliot Hill, Newton D. Arnold. Box Office: $16M (US)
Rating: ****
I saw D.C. Cab with my friend Bill on Christmas Eve ‘83 and I knew walking in it was going to be funny. I thoroughly enjoy this feel-good comedy about a struggling Washington D.C. taxi company that could easily be mistaken for Delta House if not for all the junky cabs. It’s owned by Harold (Gail, Barney Miller), a Vietnam vet who tries to keep his drivers under control in order to avoid being shut down by an unsympathetic hack inspector, Mr. Bravo (Perez, The Sting II). It’s not always an easy job.
Hope arrives in the form of Albert (Baldwin, My Bodyguard), the son of Harold’s old army buddy. Following his father’s death, Albert comes to D.C. to become a cab driver. He’s an enthusiastic young man; unfortunately, the other drivers see their occupation as a dead end. They’re a motley bunch, these hacks. They are Samson (Mr. T, Rocky III), a decent man who wants to help the neighborhood children; Tyrone (comedian Barnett), a smart ass always looking for ways to rip off passengers; Xavier (Rodriguez, Born In East L.A.) who sees himself as a gigolo; twins Buddy and Buzzy (bodybuilders Peter and David Barbarian), muscular dudes that can turn the cab of an 18-wheeler on its front end effortlessly; Bob (comedian Maher), a promising musician; Ophelia (Warfield, Night Court), a single mom just trying to get by; reggae guy Bongo (Jessie aka Otis Day from Animal House) and conspiracy nut Dell (Busey, Lethal Weapon). And we mustn’t forget Mr. Rhythm (Mayo, Sanford & Son), the homeless guy that sleeps in an abandoned cab and dispenses words of wisdom for the low, low price of a quarter. It’s like the Island of Misfit Toys.
Harold is married to a shrew named Myrna (DeSalvo, Arthur) who can’t stand the drivers. Or Harold, for that matter. She screws him and his employees over big time when she claims the $10,000 reward for the valuable violin left behind in one of the cabs. Harold was going to use the money to make a success of D.C. Cab. The drivers are ready to quit when Albert offers to invest his $6000 inheritance; that is, after he makes an inspirational speech. Things start looking up for the company until a trio of kidnappers grabs Albert along with an ambassador’s two children.
Personally, I think D.C. Cab is AWESOME! It’s awesomely funny and awesomely entertaining. It features a very talented cast including Jill Schoelen (The Stepfather) in her film debut. She plays Claudette, a waitress Albert is interested in romantically. She’s so charming and what a great smile.
D.C. Cab works primarily because director Joel Schumacher (The Lost Boys) utilizes the strengths of each performer. At the time of its release, Mr. T was riding high on the popularity of The A-Team. It was marketed by Universal as a starring vehicle for him. He’s NOT actually the star, but he is a big presence in the movie basically playing himself. Barnett is a riot as Tyrone. He tries to pass himself off as a “crazy dumb ass n-word” but nothing could be further from the truth. He gets some choice lines like when Bravo tells a driver not to end a sentence with a preposition to which Tyrone replies, “”Okay, so where you at, a**hole?” Mayo is funny as the oddball voice of reason. Really, the whole cast is great.
D.C. Cab plays like a Disney movie albeit one with cursing, nudity and racist comments. Its R rating should have kept it off limits to young children, but there were a lot of children in the audience at the matinee my friend and I attended. Honestly, I can think of worse movies to take the little ones to see. It’s a good-natured underdog comedy with a great soundtrack. The theme song “The Dream” is sung by Irene Cara who makes a cameo appearance as herself. The kidnapping subplot adds excitement to the mix with a cool car chase at the end. I have absolutely no complaints about this movie.
I ended up seeing D.C. Cab three times at the movies including once on a double bill with The Keep (great underappreciated horror flick!). I’ve seen it many times on VHS and DVD and never get tired of it. It always makes me laugh. It puts 95% of recent comedies to shame. It’s GREAT!
BTW, be sure to watch to the very end of the credits for a bonus scene featuring Timothy Carey (The Killing of a Chinese Bookie).
