1980 comedyRating: 15/20
Plot: See Zero Hour!, another movie with an exclamation point.
That the plot of this is lifted so accurately from that disaster movie is my favorite thing about this movie. Well, with the possible exception of Leslie Nielsen. Now, I was pretty sure that I'd already written about this movie for this blog, but I used my newest blog feature (the much more comprehensive search box to your right) and couldn't find it. This movie makes me laugh and groan alternately. Surely, the Abrahams/Zucker/Zucker combination who wrote this knew that a lot of this material would inspire groaning. Of course they knew it, and don't call me Shirley. This has a great cast, a collection of actors who get it and realize the importance of not overdoing the lines. All except for one guy--Stephen Stucker--whose performance is maybe one of my least favorite comedic performances ever. He sticks out like a mangled thumb, the clown prince of stomping, an I'm almost embarrassed for him. He didn't have a long career, probably because he almost singlehandedly ruined this movie. I wonder how many scenes had to be deleted because they were Stuckered. This movie was probably supposed to be three hours long until they realized they'd have to remove 90% of Stucker's scenes. But enough about him. I watched this movie because I desperately needed to laugh at something really stupid. It succeeds at that, maybe better than any other comedy. I do, perhaps unfairly, blame this movie for a lot of stuff that follows it. That includes the sequel.
2 comments:
This one gets an 18 from me. I dont mind most of the Stucker scenes, as they are quick and gone before you realize it. I started watching a little bit of this on Encore recently and it was still funny three decades later.
I found this web site talking about the death of Stucker.....plus it has an appearance by old Steve on Donahue, where he talks about having AIDS and how he doesnt think he will die of it. Its a bit disquieting because he was dead within a year of the taping of this show.
http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/s/stucker/stucker.htm
This holds more value for it's totally original (and endlessly copied) way of making a comedy, rather than its quality as a whole movie. There are dozens of great lines and moments that make me give it a 17, but in the wrong mood, "Airplane" is sometimes a little tiresome in it's unrelenting goofiness.
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