A tongue-in-cheek spoof of the disaster genre. A former wartime flight commander has to take control of a jet after every pilot aboard comes down with food poisoning -- even though he's now too scared to fly. The airplane's passengers include a wild assortment of comic loonies.
Total Film, 03/01/2001, p.100, "...Most of the gags hit the mark, and the dialogue's as quotable as ever..."
New York Times, 12/28/1980, p.II:15, Included in the New York Times "10 BEST FILMS OF 1980"
New York Times, 07/02/1980, p.C17, "...Jokes -- hilarious jokes -- to spare....Clever and confident and furiously energetic..."
Premiere, 12/01/2003, p.13, "[A] cornucopia of geeky slapstick, self-referential jokes, and satirical pastiches..."
Entertainment Weekly, 12/16/2005, p.67, "[T]he contrarian casting of deadpan actors like Leslie Nielsen reinvented careers by making every utterance a punchline." -- Grade: B+
Rolling Stone, 12/01/2005, p.98, Ranked #15 in Rolling Stone's "Top 25 DVDs Of 2005' -- "You are certain to laugh."
Total Film, 07/01/2006, p.119, 5 stars out of 5 -- "[W]ithout doubt one of the funniest movies ever made."
Entertainment Weekly, 09/16/1994, pp.126-8, "...Nonstop comic invention made AIRPLANE! one of the funniest...comedies of our time..." -- Rating: A
Title Note
The plot of this film -- on which the spoof is hung -- is based on a 1957 movie called "Zero Hour!" The film also borrows from the more recent disaster film "Airport."
Although this was a low-budget film, it did better than many of the big budget movies of that year.
Available to buy in the UK.
Release Note
DVD Features:
Region 1 Keep Case Widescreen - 16.9 Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround - English Dolby Digital Mono - French Additional Release Material: Audio Commentary - 1. Jerry Zucker - Writer/Director, David Zucker - Writer/Director, Jim Abrahams - Writer/Director, Jon Davidson - Producer Production Interviews Trailers - 1. Original Theatrical Trailer Deleted Scenes Interactive Features: Interactive Menus Scene Access Enhanced Movie Branching (Deleted Scenes, Interviews) Trivia Track
Product Notes
The spoof comedy that set the gold standard for all that followed it, AIRPLANE takes shots at the slew of disaster movies that peppered cinemas in the 70s. When the passengers and crew of a jet are incapacitated due to food poisoning, a rogue pilot (who has a drinking problem and is afraid of flying) must cooperate with his ex-girlfriend turned stewardess to bring the plane to a safe landing. No disaster flick cliche is left unroasted, and the musical score itself takes a less than reverent look at overly melodramatic compositions.
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