Film

Adventures of a Taxi Driver

Name: Adventures of a Taxi Driver
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1976
Cast: Barry Evans, Judy Geeson, Adrienne Posta, Liz Fraser, Ian Lavender

Gross-out comedy

A 1976 British sex comedy following a perpetually horny London cabbie through a series of escalating bedroom mishaps. It's cheerfully crude, aggressively of its era, and plays like a feature-length Carry On sketch. Made for people who find the idea of consequence-free bumbling hilarious and don't mind a film that treats women as punchlines rather than characters.

TMDb rating

2.6

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you enjoy broad, bawdy British comedies of the 1970s, where a cheeky lead keeps bumbling into trouble and the innuendo is as cheerfully unsubtle as its set-pieces.

Skip it if the humour is dated and leers more than it laughs; if the constant sexual pursuit wears thin, the episodic structure will feel long.

What it asks of you: An 89-minute run of loosely linked episodes with little patience for plot and no need for close attention; you mostly settle in and let the gags land.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Carry On Camping1969

The blueprint for this kind of British smut-adjacent comedy. A holiday camp full of misunderstandings, double entendres, and actors who know exactly how much to wink. Sid James and Barbara Windsor in their element.

But The humour is relentlessly juvenile and dated. Women are mostly targets for leering rather than people with agency.

The Italian Job1969

A crime caper with a similar lightness of touch and ensemble energy. Michael Caine leads a team through an increasingly absurd heist with charm, wit, and actual narrative momentum beneath the fun.

But It's a smarter film by some distance, which means watching Taxi Driver will feel noticeably blunter by comparison.

Confessions of a Window Cleaner1974

The closest spiritual relative: another working-class lad whose job becomes cover for bedroom farce. Same era, same audience, same cheerful disregard for plausibility. Robin Askwith in perpetual trouble.

But If you find the premise of Taxi Driver exhausting, this will only compound the problem—it's basically the same film.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from Adventures of a Taxi Driver

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Under the Cherry Moon1986

Both films centre on sexual conquest as narrative engine, but Cherry Moon is *aware* it's impossible and embraces the artifice. Taxi Driver plays it straight—or tries to. They're comedies made from opposite directions.

Prince directed this himself—a deliberately artificial romantic fantasy shot in black and white that treats '80s decadence as pure absurdist theatre. It fails spectacularly and charmingly. Nothing is meant to be believable; everything is surface and style.

But It is willfully unwatchable to most audiences. Arthouse pretension married to pop excess. Calling it bad is being generous.

The Benny Hill Show1969

A sketch show that captures the same sensibility: rapid-fire gags, attractive women in predicaments, slapstick, innuendo. Less plot, more kaleidoscopic chaos. Pure product of its moment.

But Sketch comedy ages unevenly, and entire bits will land with a thud. The sexual politics are even more brazen than the film's.

Are You Being Served?1972

A sitcom built on the same bedrock of double entendre and workplace chaos. Mrs. Slocombe's lines alone are a masterclass in the genre, and the ensemble is genuinely likeable despite the material.

But It's episodic and uneven; you're hunting for the good ones rather than watching something with cumulative momentum.

Doctor in the House1954

Medical students at teaching hospital, endless farce and seduction. Lighter in tone, more good-natured, with a better cast depth. James Robertson Justice is worth the price alone.

But It's actually competent filmmaking, which makes it a different animal. You'd be better served watching this if you want the formula done well.

On the Buses1971

A working-class comedy about a bus driver (Reg Varney) and his schemes. Same era, same target audience, similar structure. Harmless and specifically engineered for a particular moment in British culture.

But It's equally dated and just as slight, which means you're watching a very similar film made slightly more competently.

The Likely Lads1976

A buddy comedy film based on the beloved sitcom, with Rodney Bewes and James Bolam. It has actual character and affection beneath the gags, and the '70s authenticity is undeniable.

But If you haven't seen the series, the film assumes you know these men already. Also, it's genuinely a better film, which spoils Taxi Driver by comparison.

Kingpin1996

Same comedy DNA and era obsession, but Kingpin spent its comedy budget building affection for its characters rather than scoring quick sexual points. It proves the formula can work if you actually like the people.

The Farrelly Brothers made crass, vulgar physical comedy with genuine heart underneath. Woody Harrelson and Randy Quaid as bowling hustlers; it's stupid and loud and often very funny, with a soul that Taxi Driver never reaches for.

But It's aggressively unsubtle. The Farrellys trafficked in disability mockery. For some people, the noise and meanness overwhelm whatever warmth exists.

Come and See1985

Both films follow a young man believing himself invulnerable in a world that treats his failures as entertainment. Taxi Driver finds it funny; Come and See reveals the logic of that choice. They're moral inverses.

A Soviet film about a boy's initiation into war. Brutal, visually stunning, impossible to shake. Not remotely what you'd guess from Taxi Driver, but it's also fundamentally about watching innocence collide with consequence in ways the world finds darkly hilarious.

But It is absolutely not a comedy and contains real atrocity. If you want escapism, this is the inverse. It will exhaust you.