Review of Airplane! (1980) by Tony P — 01 Jul 2017

A film that is some 37 years old but unbelievably I have never seen. Why?

I have not enjoyed a 90 or so minute comedy genre film as much for years.

The plot is pretty simple (and inconsequential), it revolves around a US domestic flight to Chicago where several members of the crew and passengers are struck down with severe food poisoning. The crew includes the pilot and his co-pilots leaving the fate of the craft in the hands of an inflatable auto pilot and a drunken veteran passenger.

The film spoofs several films from the 1970s including Jaws in the introduction and Saturday Night Fever featuring a rip-roaring rendition of Staying Alive by The Bee Gees.

The jokes are very un-politically correct in many scenes broaching subject's that wouldn't dare to be touched in modern film and television including casual racusm, paedophilia, pornography and substance misuse. However none of these subjects are real before any Liberals get on their high horses.

The cast seems pretty unknown to me perhaps because of my age (I was only 3 when this film was made).

The only person I recognised was a pre Naked Gun trilogy Leslie Nielsen as a doctor aboard the aircraft.

To be honest Nielsen although he shows some nods and winks pkays his part more straight faced than his Naked Gun character.

Excellent film that dedpute its age is still funny.