← Back to Reviews
in
Airplane! (1980)
Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Cast overview: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty
Running time: 88 minutes
Comedies have always been a film genre I enjoy but haven't seemed to watch enough of. Airplane! is one I often turn to, not least because I consider it to be among the greatest films of all time, but also because it packs so many laughs into a fairly short running time. Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty are the stars, but Leslie Nielsen's performance as Dr Rumack steals the show. He was great in the Naked Gun films - some more of my favourites - and he's equally as good here.
A spoof the of the Airport movies that cropped up in the seventies, the film pokes fun at everything, and humour has arguably never been more literal than it is here. What I particularly like is the deadpan acting, yet the film doesn't take itself seriously and comedies could learn a lot from some of the techniques employed here.
The plot itself is actually decent for a comedy - it works as a relatively serious disaster movie, except with jokes and Leslie Nielsen. The jokes are almost constant, and barely a minute goes by where you're not laughing. There are so many quotable lines and memorable scenes that it has cemented its place in the upper echelons of film history. Possibly the greatest comedy ever.
Quotes
[as the plane prepares to take off]
Hanging Lady: Nervous?
Ted Striker: Yes.
Hanging Lady: First time?
Ted Striker: No, I've been nervous lots of times.
Young Boy with Coffee: Excuse me, I happened to be passing, and I thought you might like some coffee.
Little Girl: Oh, that's very nice of you, thank you.
[takes coffee]
Little Girl: Oh, won't you sit down?
Young Boy with Coffee: Cream?
Little Girl: No, thank you, I take it black, like my men.
Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.
Trivia
For the argument between announcers concerning the white and red zones at the airport, the producers hired the same voice artists who had made the real-world announcements at Los Angeles International Airport. At the real airport, the white zone is for loading and unloading of passengers only, and there's no stopping in the red zone (except for transit buses). They were also married to each other in real life.
Aero Mexico was the only airline to buy the film for their inflight entertainment.
Stephen Stucker ad-libbed all of his lines as Johnny.
Trailer
Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Cast overview: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty
Running time: 88 minutes
Comedies have always been a film genre I enjoy but haven't seemed to watch enough of. Airplane! is one I often turn to, not least because I consider it to be among the greatest films of all time, but also because it packs so many laughs into a fairly short running time. Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty are the stars, but Leslie Nielsen's performance as Dr Rumack steals the show. He was great in the Naked Gun films - some more of my favourites - and he's equally as good here.
A spoof the of the Airport movies that cropped up in the seventies, the film pokes fun at everything, and humour has arguably never been more literal than it is here. What I particularly like is the deadpan acting, yet the film doesn't take itself seriously and comedies could learn a lot from some of the techniques employed here.
The plot itself is actually decent for a comedy - it works as a relatively serious disaster movie, except with jokes and Leslie Nielsen. The jokes are almost constant, and barely a minute goes by where you're not laughing. There are so many quotable lines and memorable scenes that it has cemented its place in the upper echelons of film history. Possibly the greatest comedy ever.
Quotes
[as the plane prepares to take off]
Hanging Lady: Nervous?
Ted Striker: Yes.
Hanging Lady: First time?
Ted Striker: No, I've been nervous lots of times.
Young Boy with Coffee: Excuse me, I happened to be passing, and I thought you might like some coffee.
Little Girl: Oh, that's very nice of you, thank you.
[takes coffee]
Little Girl: Oh, won't you sit down?
Young Boy with Coffee: Cream?
Little Girl: No, thank you, I take it black, like my men.
Steve McCroskey: Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.
Trivia
For the argument between announcers concerning the white and red zones at the airport, the producers hired the same voice artists who had made the real-world announcements at Los Angeles International Airport. At the real airport, the white zone is for loading and unloading of passengers only, and there's no stopping in the red zone (except for transit buses). They were also married to each other in real life.
Aero Mexico was the only airline to buy the film for their inflight entertainment.
Stephen Stucker ad-libbed all of his lines as Johnny.
Trailer