D.C. Cab

D.C. Cab is a 1983 movie co-written and directed by Joel Schumacher. It featured an ensemble cast including Gary Busey, Paul Rodriguez, Marsha Warfield, Bill Maher, Adam Baldwin (in his second major role after My Bodyguard), and Mr. T (though only T is featured on the cover).

The movie focuses on a down-on-their luck cab company in Washington, D.C. as they attempt to make their way to respectability, fighting City Hall and rival cab companies all the way. After a kiss with that respectability, a kidnapping knocks them back down to earth, and the boys have to rescue one of their own and a couple of cute kids, fighting City Hall and rival cab companies all the way.

The movie was a modest earner, making $16 million domestically. It was critically panned, however; many people complained about the movie's heavy use of Mr. T in its advertising (he was coming off of Rocky III at the time), despite his character being just a small part of the ensemble.

This film provides examples of:

 * Billing Displacement: Mr. T is so associated with this movie, it's called Mr. T and Company in some markets, despite the small amount of screen time he actually gets.
 * Halfway Plot Switch: Turns from a standard struggle to survive as a cab company plot to a kidnapping plot for the third act.
 * Naive Newcomer: Albert Hockenberry (Adam Baldwin).
 * Ragtag Bunch of Misfits
 * Unintentional Period Piece: The fact that Tyrone (Charlie Barnett) is a fan of Irene Cara is a plot point. Irene Cara today is best known for singing the theme to the movie Fame, and she's also featured on the Flashdance soundtrack.