Airplane! (1980) Dir: David Zucker & Jerry Zucker
- Ridley Coote
- Mar 3, 2023
- 1 min read
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Before the Scary Movie franchise, there was this; one of the most quoted films of all time and an outrageously bizarre and entertaining comedy film.
The spoof genre is rarely one to let an audience down, because they are either executed with brilliant creativity, or they are so poor that they end up being just as entertaining.
This one falls on the wonderfully creative side of things. Directed by the trio of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, this over-the-top comedy is a bundle of laughs.
Some of the comedy may have aged poorly, but there is still plenty that is extremely humorous. The narrative is beyond absurd and simple, but very effective for the purposes of entertainment.
The iconic Leslie Nielsen provides the most laughs by some distance, with his trademark wit and quick one-liners making for some truly hilarious moments.
Robert Hays plays the role of the film's protagonist, and while he may not have the best performance, he certainly has some fun moments.
Another decent performance comes from Julie Hagerty, who works very well with Hays, and has a number of strong moments of humour in her own right.
Robert Stack has a somewhat smaller role, but manages to deliver some of his jokes excellently. I almost wish he had more screentime, in all honesty.
Finally, I'll give mentions to Lorna Patterson, Peter Graves, Stephen Stucker and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - who cameos as himself, each of whom provide a number of entertaining moments.
Overall, this is ridiculous and bonkers, but incredibly funny. If you want an easy watch that leaves you in stitches, this is absolutely a film for you.
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