D.C. Cab

A recent post over on Cave of Cool made me search around to find my old review of that cinematic gem D.C. Cab which gave us the following philosophy:

“Don’t let your dick run your life.”

“You have faith in God.  You have faith in your country.  You do not have faith in The Eight Stooges!”

“Why are women so uptight?  They’ve got half the money and all the pussy.”

After the death of his father, young Albert Hockenberry (Adam Baldwin) moves to Washington D.C. to stay with his dad’s Vietnam buddy (Max Gail) who owns his own cab company.

Albert decides he likes the life, despite the odd characters (Mr. T, Gary Busey, Bill Maher, Marsha Warfield, the Barbarian Brothers, Charlie Barnett, Paul Rodriguez) who work there, and decides he wants to be a cab driver.  Things get complicated when Albert falls in love with a girl he can’t have (Jill Schoelen) and a kidnapping he gets mixed-up in, but everything works out fine in the end.

Let’s get this straight.  D.C. Cab is not a good movie by any rational standard.  It is however an immensely enjoyable trainwreck.  Where else are you going to find a movie where Gary Busey fits in so naturally?  Or where Mr. T pimps out a taxi-cab?  The inmates have control of the asylum from the get-go here, and turns out they know how to have a pretty good time.

The movie is more a series of bits than a full film, and is at its best when the plot, or any type of reason, isn’t allowed to get in the way.  There are several memorable moments including an impromptu stop at a strip club, the search for Bruce Lee, the “run” on the train tracks, the flame-thrower, and a not too shabby 80’s soundtrack.

Mr. T pities the fool who doesn’t get a kick out of D.C. Cab, and I must agree.  It’s a guilty pleasure which is worth a look.  There are bad movies that sometimes can be just as enjoyable as good ones, despite all their issues (or even sometimes because of them), and D.C. Cab fits the bill better than most.