Airplane! Reviews

A prodigal repertoire of gags, most of them parodics, but the best all on its own humour: the woman slapped by everyone and the great great automatic pilot being blow jobbed by Julie Hagerty.

I'm really sorry to say to myself that I didn't find this film all that funny. I really just couldn't believe it. After reading what the film is about, after finding out that the hilarious Leslie Nielsen himself was in this, I really could not imagine myself not enjoying this film, sadly I really didn't think it was all that funny. The jokes were incredibly unhumorous; the jokes were basically just turning jokey sayings into literal happenings, I did not think it was funny, not my type of 'humour' in this case. The same style of jokes kept being told, in fact, I think those were the only 'jokes' that were told. And the silly love story or whatever in the film, just made it even worse. The rest of the jokes were rather boring, I really didn't crack a smile, and to a certain extent I do have a good sense of humour, grumpy at times maybe, but I believe if this was truly funny, then that shouldn't matter. The only joke I did find funny, was the pestering charity people, and when they got punched and "kung fued", that I found funny. Nielsen just managed to crack me up in this, he hasn't really ever failed at doing that.

Truth be told, I didn't think this film was all that marvellous, it was really down to the fact that the jokes weren't that funny. Nielsen just saved it from getting a lower rating. But just for the record, I did really enjoy The Naked Gun trilogy and Police Squad, but I didn't enjoy this. The jokes are completely different, they have nothing in common, so don't think you'll like this just because you liked NG or PS, it's totally different stuff.

I'm pretty sure I saw this one back then when I was a kid but since it is such a classic, I thought it was time for a re-watch. Personally, I think one of the interesting things about this movie is that it is a great test to know if you actually enjoy this genre of parodies. Indeed, even though it might not be the first one, it was and is the best one ever made. So, if you watch this flick and you think it stinks, you can skip directly everything in this genre because nothing else that came after was remotely better than this. For me, this test worked pretty well and I know where I stand now. Indeed, I thought it was pretty good and there were many many good jokes ('a smoking ticket, please!', just awesome...) but that was about it, I'm afraid. Indeed, in my opinion, even though it is supposed to be that way, it all remains pretty stupid and stupid humor is not really my thing, I'm afraid. After this, the directing trio (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker) spent much of their career milking dry this genre and I didn't care much for it (yeah, even 'The Naked Gun' trilogy was pretty lame, in my opinion...). To conclude, even though I'm not a huge fan, it is definitely a pretty good comedy, a classic, and it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

All right, this is what happened:

Mel Brooks, after a wild night somewhere, was walking home when he got assaulted by three men who are now recognized worldwide as ZAZ. They announced that they are the new kids in town and he, Mr. Brooks, should either leave town quickly or stop making parodies. Unfortunately, this shook up Mr. Brooks so much that he failed to make another hit and as for ZAZ, their first hit... was their only hit and started a rather painful legacy. (look at the spoof titles of the last 5 years and you will understand)

You see, this is a TCM-Halloween case right here. The former may have invented the modern-slasher genre and and may have laid down the blueprints but the latter took it to great heights, thus becoming the poster-film of the said genre. Same case here: After the success of Blazing Saddles, it was clear to everyone that Mel Brooks wouldn't stop and he dominated the 70's... but unfortunately, modern-parody / spoof, to me, lived and died in the 70's with a few last shots from the 80's and virtually none from 90's to current date. Airplane! made a much bigger impact and has almost become the true definition of the spoof film and hey! who can blame them?

All right, the jokes are quite-original, although some are repetitive, but it's the interesting supporting characters and inventive dialogues that really steals the film. I really liked Lorna Patterson as Randy and Julie Hagerty as Elaine. They both provided good performances and made their characters very interesting and fun to watch. But of course, the lion's share goes to Leslie Nielsen as Dr. Rumack and Lloyd Bridges as Steve McCroskey. Both are unmatched and unparalleled in their roles. Their performances, line-delivery and screen presence make up 95% of the film's backbone. Airplane, just like any-other spoof film, also offers surrealism and I'm gonna signal out one: The last half of Rex Kramer's introduction. Man, that's surrealism at its best!

So all in all, Airplane! is a satisfying movie and offers good entertainment but I enjoy Mr. Brooks's movies more...

7.9/10

Ted: "Surely you can't be serious..."
Dr. Rumack: "I am serious...and don't call me Shirley"

Airplane! (known as Flying High! in Australia) is cinema's seminal spoof movie. It was decades ago that the capable, imaginative duo of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams and Jerry Zucker (ZAZ) wrote and directed what became, through my eyes, the funniest movie of all time. Up until 1980 when Airplane! was released, Mel Brooks was acknowledged as the guru of movie spoofs - with films like Blazing Saddles to Young Frankenstein under his belt. Apparently Mel Brooks viewed Airplane! and realised there were new kids on the block playing his game, and they were playing his game even better than he once did!

The three creators of Airplane! introduced audiences to an entirely new kind of comedy altogether. It combines sight gags, memorable dialogue and just plain random humour...creating unbeatable results! The film generated its own unique genre of comedy satire. Subsequently this style was to be copied and expanded upon in many different guises, both by its creators and countless others, but alas never again possessing the same freshness and appeal. The distinguishing feature is the sheer number of laughs incorporated into this film...it's almost sufficient to fill three movies! Breaking down just a minute of the film, you can literally find about 8 gags. They say you cannot analyse humour, but au contraire my friends...lo and behold a laugh count of about 500 an hour! Seriously, if you're not laughing uncontrollably by the film's ending you should check into a mental clinic, or get inspected for possible lockjaw.

Airplane! is ostensibly a spoof of the old, cheesy, terribly made 1950s disaster movies. Basically the almost non-existent plot concerns a perilous situation on-board a passenger plane. When a severe case of food poisoning breaks out, the crew are left incapacitated with several passengers becoming violently ill. Former war pilot Ted Striker (Hays) is the only hope for those aboard the plane. He must overcome the troubles with his former wife (Hagerty) and conquer his lack of enthusiasm to save the day. Along the way you'll find spoofs of everything from Jaws to Saturday Night Live. The plot is wafer thin, with no depth or attempt to make it more than just a comedy. The problem with most comedies these days is that they incorporate a bit of drama into the mix, fishing for a movie that amalgamates laughs and drama. The thing about Airplane! is that the creators want to make a comedy and nothing more...no drama, no seriousness. Just laughs and a never-ending flow of them as well. This is comedy done right, and even without much of a plot this is truly a masterpiece.

It's the gag density and the lack of gaps between the laughs that keeps this film fast-paced and thoroughly enjoyable. You will be wanting more when the credit begin to roll...I was certainly thirsty for more and set out to watch more films by the ZAZ threesome. It's not only the thickness of gags, but the actors that elevate this movie. Leslie Nielsen's impeccable dialogue delivery exalts the quality of this film astronomically. Before this film he actually did some serious movies. After this film, his career as a serious performer was destroyed. His deadpan nature can make you laugh just by looking at him. Heck, his introduction with a stethoscope around his neck will add to the already heightened urge to laugh. He steals the show. Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty have great chemistry whenever they feature in a scene together. And their dialogue is faultlessly written.

Airplane! deserves the appraisal and accolades it subsequently received. There are so many laughs included here that you will need to watch the film continually just to notice them all. I've watched the film repeatedly, and I'm still noticing new laughs. This is before sexual innuendo and puerile remarks became the foundation for humour. Maybe that is what's missing from modern comedies. Quite simply, you will never find a comedy that's more original than this! Check it out...immediately!

8.75/10

Airplane was probably the first Big Budget Spoof, and is still a classic. Many of the spoofs are dated, and probably will make no sense to anyone under the age of 40 (Here to Eternity, Coffee Commercial, etc.), and some of it is very politically incorrect, but the movie is still worth a look. The Saturday Night Fever spoof is way too long, I'll admit. But this movie still gives me the giggles each time I see it. From the opening sequence, to the "Don't call me Shirley" lines there are plenty of cheesy laughs. And Leslie Nielsen did steal the movie with his deadpan delivery, which is why his career skyrocketed after this movie.