Airplane - still funny

There are few films that stand up to the test of time and even fewer that are comedies.  I’m glad to say that ‘Airplane’ is the exception to the rule.  It’s one of those ‘spoof’ films which sacrifices story in favour of joke after joke after joke.  Nowadays, similar humour is applied to spoof movies which lampoon one or two individual films.  Back in 1980 when Airplane was made it was less fashionable to make fun of just one film, instead ‘disaster movies’ in general are the topic of ridicule.  And, luckily, the plot is pretty simple – the titular airplane loses all its pilots (and many of the passengers) to a freak food poisoning accident (just don’t eat the fish!) and a former war pilot, with a questionable track record at the helm of flying machines, must step up to save the day.

You need to know that ‘Airplane’ is hardly ‘highbrow entertainment.’ It never was.  It never will be.  And, most importantly, it was never intended to be.  The film is filled with ‘pratt-falls’ and dumb and silly jokes.  If you’ve watched any of the ‘Naked Gun’ films, or those ‘Scary/Superhero/Disaster/Delete As Applicable’ Movies, then you’ll kind of know the drill by now.  Only Airplane was basically ‘the original’ of this type of film, therefore it’s definitely the funniest!

Part of its appeal is the fact that the film-makers seemed to steer towards casting ‘non-comedic’ actors is as many of the lead roles as they could, meaning everyone plays their parts ‘straight’ and totally deadpan.  Of course the main characters are great, but it’s Leslie Neilson who steals every scene in what was his first comic role on screen (but definitely not his last!).

Airplane isn’t the kind of movie you need to think about.  You just need to be in the mood for something a bit silly (and sometimes irreverent!) to get enjoyment out of this.  Even after over thirty-five years, it still outclasses all those other ‘spoof’ movies.  It is truly the original… and best.

And don’t call me ‘Shirley!’

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather