Review of Airplane! (1980) by Janet Maslin for The New York Times — 19 Jun 1981
At a time when throwaway gags seem like a luxury in any film, Airplane! has jokes—hilarious jokes—to spare. It's also clever and confident and furiously energetic, and it has the two most sadly neglected selling points any movie could want right now: it's brief (only eighty-eight minutes), and it looks inexpensive (it cost about three million dollars) without looking cheap.
Airplane! is more than a pleasant surprise, in the midst of this dim movie season. As a remedy for the bloated self-importance of too many other current efforts, it's just what the doctor ordered.
You can read the full review where it was originally posted online.
This review of Airplane! (1980) was written by Janet Maslin and published by The New York Times on 19 Jun 1981.
Airplane! has generally received very positive reviews.
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