Movies

Speed freaks

Unlikely duo team up for a wild taxi ride on the town

Did You Know : Jimmy Fallon�s comedy album The Bathroom Wall was nominated for a Grammy in 2003.

Photographs courtesy of Fox

Belle Williams (Queen Latifah) 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 taxi 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 eager cop Andy Washburn (Jimmy Fallon), 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 (Gisele Bündchen), 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 the freedom 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 first.

Taxi hits theatres on November 18.

Vocabulary

tricked-out (adj): dressed or decorated in a way that attracts attention
rep (informal): reputation
pit stop (n): an occasion when a car stops during a race for more fuel, etc.
derail (v): to make a train leave the track
ineptitude (n): lack of skill

IDIOM

in the doghouse: if you are in the doghouse, somebody is annoyed with you because of something that you have done