Lady Cab Drivers Wanted

The Daily News reports that there's a new scholarship program to help women become taxi drivers. The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade, New York State Federation of Taxi Drivers, has 500 scholarships to offer, but only 8 women have signed up, something the federation's president chalks up to lack of awareness for the program and as well as old perceptions that being a cab driver is dangerous. Really, who knew? The Daily News says that 99% of taxi drivers are men and we believe it: Whenever we get a female cab driver, we do a double take and start to wonder if she really enjoys it. The female cab drivers we've had have generally been very pleasant and nice - though we realize it's a smaller sample size - so we're all for more female cab drivers.

Which brings Gothamist to Taxi, starring Queen Latifah and Jimmy Fallon. We saw a trailer for the film before Anchorman. Now, there's nothing better than seeing Jimmy Fallon humiliated, but the movie doesn't seem to make sense. Queen Latifah plays a no-nonsense cab driver, who helps out disgraced rookie cop Jimmy, while pursuing bank robbers, and QL has this pimped out cab...didn't Hollywood learn their lesson about a multi-racial, TV-star-paired-with-singer-actress with DC Cab? Maybe it's an excuse to see Gisele Bundchen onscreen, but it's just bad idea jeans, even if it was shot in NYC. And if you watch the trailer, there was one thing Gothamist liked: The title treatment, which has a pulsating/radiating Manhattan street grid in the background.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on July 15, 2004 12:56 PM

Comments [rss]

Tina Webb

Hello

I see you are looking for female cab drivers.. I have been a cab driver in Seattle for 17 years.. I love my job and I am very well know in Seattle..

It's the best job in the world..

Alex

is the original in subtitles?

Magnat

I totally agree with Rita. And she's right, the original and the whole trilogy is SO MUCH better the n the cheap remake by Hollywood and is also better then The FnF... and it's not just that, there are many more other movies tha Hollywood keeps on changing because of no more ideas.... sad.. sad sad..

Magnat

I totally agree with Rita. And she's right, the original and the whole trilogy is SO MUCH better the n the cheap remake by Hollywood and is also better then The FnF... and it's not just that, there are many more other movies tha Hollywood keeps on changing because of no more ideas.... sad.. sad sad..

John

You actually spelled Peugeot correctly. Well done!

Rita

The taxi you mentioned is actually a remake of a french film, produced by luc benson. It is a huge franchise in france with 2 additional sequels. In the original, it is your typical buddy flix where they match a bumbling cop (in the remake, Fallon) who failed his driver's test 30 times (or something like that), teams up with a ridiculously good taxi driver who souped up his white peugeot (okay I can't spell). The cop is an idiot but together with the taxi driver, they stopped a team of bank robbers who drive kickass Mercedes. In the remake, they are driving BMWs.

I really like the original French movie, and the action sequences are so much better than Fast and the Furious.

Benson

I once had a woman cab driver who was about 70 years old. She picked me up on the Upper West Side at about 4am one Sunday morning. I felt bad for her so I gave her a nice tip. What a good person I am......

Ron Mwangaguhunga

I too enjoy "multiracial" flics, although I am pretty sure we are not, uh, quite, talking about the same thing.

Seems to me Latifa is always playing the "no nonsense" chick. I'm waiting for her to really show me her acting chops, go in deep to that special place -- like: play an Irish man who has no control over his speech or movement except for his left foot. Or something.

Jen

Ha, mike c, I knew there was a "women drivers" shot in the post - glad you could be the first to take it. But I'm curious, women drivers vs. cab drivers - what's your poison?

I love me the multiracial comedies, too, but Taxi looks dumb, and I'm a big fan of Queen Latifah telling the white folks like it is. As for Harold & Kumar, I read a really good review of it in Variety.

mike c

Great. More women drivers on NYC streets. What's next, allowing the blind to drive cabs?

/ducks and runs for cover

ngawang

I personally like "multi-racial" flicks, it's just a matter of prefrence and stupider the movie, the better it is, but i wouldn't pay $10 to watch one,(matinee) got to watch "Howard and Kumar go to white castle".. if u like "dude where's....." this is 4 U.