What's the funniest movie of all time? Ishtar? From Justin To Kelly? Nothing But Trouble? Surely, you can't be serious? Hmm, well, if none of those, I think a solid number one is probably Airplane! It's not my favorite film of all time, nor what I would consider the funniest. However, it's definitely in the top ten, in fact, probably top five in my book. Sure, it's stupid, dumb and outrageous. Oh yeah, so many reasons to love it.

In many ways, Airplane! was a groundbreaking film. Not in the sense of Citizen Kane or The Godfather, but it did break plenty of rules and started a whole new genre of films. The Zucker Brothers and Jim Abrahams started in the late seventies with the spoof prototype film, Kentucky Fried Movie. However, it's wasn't until Airplane! hit the screen in 1980 that they really succeeded.

Airplane! (what's with the exclamation marks in so many of their titles?) follows the journey of an ill-fated airline flight. Ted Striker (Robert Hayes) has just been dumped by his girlfriend Elaine (Julie Hagerty) and he is trying to get her back. He follows her to the airport where she works as a flight attendant. He purchases a ticket in a vain attempt to win her back.

While on the flight, the entire flight crew succumbs to food poisoning from some bad fish. Luckily, Striker is a pilot with war experience. What war you ask? It's hard to say, but he flew over Macho Grande. Over Macho Grande? No, I don't think I'll ever be over Macho Grande. Ooops, sorry. So, Striker takes the reigns of the plane and with the assistance of Elaine and some brilliant minds on the ground, he manages to land the plane, save the day and get the girl. It's the perfect Hollywood ending!

Now keep in mind that while Airplane! actually has a pretty distinct plot, it’s the dialogue and the gags that make the picture work. What’s interesting to note is that while the film is a comedy, almost every actor plays it straight. Of course with dialogue like this, there’s no other way to do it:

Nervous?
Yes.
First time?
No, I've been nervous lots of times.

You got a letter from headquarters this morning.
What is it?
It's a big building where generals meet, but that's not important.

What was it we had for dinner tonight?
Well, we had a choice of steak or fish.
Yes, yes, I remember, I had lasagna.

The lines are so absurdly stupid that it takes true professionals to deliver the lines perfectly and Airplane! has the cast to do it. Robert Hayes and Julie Hagerty play the star-crossed lovers Ted and Elaine and are real pros with the zany dialogue. The other supporting actors all came from a drama background and at the time seeing them in this film was probably quite unusual. Lloyd Bridges (McCrosky), Leslie Nielsen (Dr. Rumack), Robert Stack (Capt. Kramer) and Peter Graves (Capt. Oveur) were all seasoned veterans at the time. However, they couldn’t have anticipated ever having to perform in such a ways as Airplane! would require. Nielsen seems to have perfected the style best which would serve as a springboard to his role as Lt. Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun films.

There are two other performances worth noting. For one, the role of the co-pilot Roger Murdock is taken on by basketball great, Kareem Adbul-Jabbar. Sure, his acting is far from Oscar worthy, but he manages to poke fun at himself several times, including his rap as a lackadaisical defensive player, and makes the role very entertaining and memorable. Barbara Billingsley (yes, Mrs. Cleaver herself) plays a very outlandish role as a “jive” translator. There are few men on the plane that aren’t feeling well and can’t communicate with the stewardess. So, Billingsley takes control and says, “Oh stewardess! I speak jive.” It’s one of the best scenes in the film and her appearance is totally out of leftfield.

Along with the dialogue and the deadpan performances, the movie is filled with hundreds of hilarious visual jokes and sight gags, along with some classic cinematic scenes. There are a few scenes and jokes that you’re going to want to pay special attention to:

Ted and Elaine’s first meeting and their Peace Corp trip
The jive-talking scene
Co-pilot Roger Murdock’s removal from the cockpit
Every scene with the “automatic pilot”
McCrosky’s addictions

Airplane! was released in 1980 so a DVD release was desperately needed. My videotape was quite worn and the picture quality was bad to begin with. Luckily, the DVD version contains a dramatically improved picture and soundtrack. It’s also shown in wide screen as well so you won’t miss any of the wackiness that would normally be cut out of the pan and scan version.

There are only two extra features on the Airplane! DVD: the theatrical trailer and a group commentary. The trailer is actually pretty interesting when you think about it. This was truly a uniquely new style of movie and the trailer probably made no sense at the time. Of course, does it make any sense now? The commentary is very entertaining. Writer/directors Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker and David Zucker are joined by producer Jon Davison on an interesting look at the film. There are several neat insights and cool stories that they share about the original idea of the film, the making of it, the actors and various other things involved with the production.

Airplane! is one of the truly classic films in the last 25 years, if not longer. It’s hilarious and actually quite groundbreaking at the time of its release. Sure, maybe the genre of spoof films doesn’t offer many Oscar winners, but when done correctly, they are very funny. Airplane! is one of those films and is a must own for any fan of hilarious comedies.



Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older