Taxi (2004)

A mouthy and feisty taxicab driver has hot tips for a green and inept cop set on solving a string of New York City bank robberies committed by a quartet of female Brazilian bank robbers.

Director:

Tim Story

Writers:

Luc Besson (earlier screenplay), Robert Ben Garant (screenplay)

Stars:

Queen Latifah, Jimmy Fallon, Gisele Bündchen

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Queen Latifah	...	Isabelle 'Belle' Williams
Jimmy Fallon	...	Andrew 'Andy' Washburn
Henry Simmons	...	Jesse
Jennifer Esposito	...	Lt. Marta Robbins
Gisele Bündchen	...	Vanessa
Ana Cristina de Oliveira	...	Redhead
Ingrid Vandebosch	...	Third Robber
Magali Amadei	...	Fourth Robber
Ann-Margret	...	Mrs. Washburn
Christian Kane	...	Agent Mullins
Boris McGiver	...	Franklin
Adrian Martinez	...	Brasilian Man
Joe Lisi	...	Mr. Scalia
Bryna Weiss	...	Mrs. Scalia
GQ	...	Stopwatch Messenger

Storyline

Belle Williams is a speed demon. Flying through the streets of New York in her tricked-out taxi, she's earned a rep as New York's fastest cabbie. But driving a hack is only a pit stop for her real dream: Belle wants to be a race car champion. And she's well on her way--until she's derailed by overeager cop Andy Washburn, whose undercover skills are matched only by his total ineptitude behind the wheel. Washburn, whose lack of vehicular skills has landed him in the precinct doghouse, is hot on the heels of a gang of beautiful Brazilian bank robbers, led by Vanessa, their cold, calculating--and leggy--leader. To nab the evasive crooks, drivers license-less Washburn convinces Belle to team up with him to pursue Vanessa and crew. Belle has carte blanche to drive at any speed and break any law. The car-less cop and speed-demon cabbie--New York's unlikeliest partners-- begin a high-speed game of cat and mouse with the robbers. That is, if Belle and Washburn don't end up killing each other ...

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Plot Keywords:

woman | united states of america | usa | driving a car | car | 

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Taglines:

He's armed, but she's dangerous.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language, sensuality and brief violence

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kevin Bray was originally set to direct, but dropped out.

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Goofs

When Belle runs over and knocks down the fire hydrant, water squirts straight up out of the top of the air intake scoop. This would be physically impossible as the water would have to go through the engine first. Additionally, there is no opening on the top of the induction scoop, and any water in the intake would shoot out of the front, not out of the top.

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Quotes

Lt. Marta Robbins: You're fired. You're not on suspension. You're not on temporary leave. You're fired! Ms. Williams, I'm giving your license back with a warning. If I catch you driving that thing in this city again, it is mine. Andy, as a friend, I'm sorry.
Washburn: But, Lieutenant...
Lt. Marta Robbins: Andy, please! You left me no choice. Now give me your badge.
[Washburn hands over his badge scorched by Belle's boyfriend, Jesse]
Lt. Marta Robbins: What?
[exhales, then walks away]
Belle: Hey... wanna share a cab?
Washburn: [sadly] Yeah.

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Crazy Credits

Outtakes are shown during the closing credits

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Connections

References Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

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Soundtracks

Crazy in Love
Written by Rich Harrison, Jay-Z (as Shawn Carter), Beyoncé and Eugene Record
Performed by Beyoncé
Courtesy of Columbia Records
By Arrangement with Sony Music Licensing
(contains a sample of "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)"
Performed by The Chi-Lites
Courtesy of Brunswick Record Corporation).

User Reviews

Very Silly, But I Laughed a Lot

A stupid detective that is not a good driver uses a terrific taxi driver, who dreams to be a pilot of racing car, to chase four bank robbers in a BMW. With this simple story line, "Taxi" is a very silly movie, but I laughed a lot. The greatest attraction for me was certainly the debut of the Brazilian top model Gisele Bündchen as "actress". But indeed Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon carry this dumb, ridiculous and absurd story in a very funny way. Another funny situation for the Brazilian viewers is to hear Ana Cristina de Oliveira speaking Portuguese with a strong accent from Portugal as if she were Brazilian. I laughed a lot with her pronunciation in Portuguese, which sounds very funny for us. I totally disagree with comments like "the worst movie ever made", probably made by persons without sense of humor as commented by another IMDb user. "Austin Powers" movies, just as an example, are dumber and less funny than "Taxi". If the viewer does not have much expectation about this film, he or she may probably have a good time. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Taxi"

Details

Country:

USA France

Language:

English Portuguese Spanish

Release Date:

6 October 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Taxi

Filming Locations:

23rd St. & Madison Avenue, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,029,832, 10 October 2004

Gross USA:

$36,879,320

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$71,255,003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox, EuropaCorp, Robert Simonds Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min 104 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1