Airplane!

Airplane! (1980, directed by Zucker brothers and Jim Abrahams) was one of the films I used to watch over and over again as a kid. I loved it for its never-ending energy and spontaneity. After watching a bunch of serious and heavy films, I realised that I need to loosen up a bit. Even though I suspected that I wouldn't like this film a lot (since it's been long I saw it the last time and I thought it would be terrible), I decided to watch the film anyway.

The film's premise is irrelevant next to the film's random and off-the-wall humor: a flight becomes disastrous as most of its crew and passengers are going down due to food poisoning - and in middle of this mess an ex-pilot must confront his fears of flying and fix his relationship with his ex-girlfriend. Spoof comedies are meant to go "all over the place", but Airplane! manages to keep it under control only occasionally. The film becomes quite an uneven experience because of that even though its running time is only a little over 80 minutes.

The film's form manages to hold the film together quite well. The editing shows brilliance once in a while, but it isn't able to save the moments when the screenplay takes the wrong turn. The comic timing of the actors is nigh flawless throughout the film: the cast is the biggest pro of the film.

It might simply be me growing tired of the film, but Airplane! is not a completely solid effort by the famous trio.

Score: 6 out of 10