CriticSociety- film reviews

Review

Airplane!

Director

Jim Abrahams

David Zucker

Jerry Zucker

Year

1980

Rating

Reviewed by

José Ruiloba a.k.a. Morris

Review date

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

When the American Film Institute published a list of the 100 best Hollywood comedies ever made, Airplane! came on number ten. It’s hard to imagine that a movie that belongs to a much-maligned genre—the spoof—would have so much endurance and admirers. But it has passed the test of time, and it continues to be as funny as when it came out just as the dreadful 80’s were starting. No matter what anyone else says, it is no doubt one of my very own personal favorites.

An ex-war-pilot, Ted Striker (Robert Hays) follows his stewardess ex-girlfriend Elaine (Julie Hagerty) to the airport where she’s just about to board a plane. He wants to rekindle their romance, she wants out. So he gets on the plane as a desperate measure, little knowing that things would go terribly wrong up there.

Airplane! was written and directed by the infamous team made up of David Zucker, Jerry Zucker and Jim Abrahams. They all made several movies of this sort, but you could say this is their crowning masterpiece. They must surely have improvised a lot while on set, but one thing is to have a funny idea and the other is to be able to successfully accomplish it. Not all jokes work, but damn if most of them hit their mark.

As a matter of fact, this movie could arguably have the most laughs-per-minute than any other in history. Whether you chuckle or laugh-out-loud there will surely be something around the corner to put a smile on your face. Comedy can be a mystery sometimes, but here they just get it. The tone, the performances, the direction, everything comes together in a way that you just can’t but surrender to it. And multiple viewings are required, since you might’ve missed a line or something in the background the first time around and there is plenty of content to get you in stitches.

The main target here are Airport-like movies, but fortunately the flick takes that idea and develops it into something of its own. There are also references to Saturday Night Fever and From Here to Eternity, but most of the jokes come from original, and cleverly silly, material.

Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty are perfect for this type of roles. They carry the movie and play their characters really well. They are not afraid of making fools of themselves even when they’re supposedly playing it straight. Veteran actors Lloyd Bridges and Leslie Nielsen also have pivotal roles and both are hilarious, especially the latter.

“There's no reason to become alarmed, and we hope you'll enjoy the rest of your flight. By the way, is there anyone on board who knows how to fly a plane?“

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