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Directed By
Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker
Written By:
Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker
Cast:
Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Robert Stack, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Leslie Nielsen, Stephen Stucker, Ethel Merman, Barbara Billingsley, James Hong, Jimmie Walker, Joyce Bulifant, Lorna Patterson, Joyce Bulifant, Maureen McGovern
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Airplane (1980)
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Movie Review by Tony 
April 7th, 2006
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My High School English/Drama teacher wrote this about me in my yearbook "Tony, I've always enjoyed your humorous comments spoken with such conviction! The key to great comedy is to never laugh while delivering it, but I know you are amused inside." No, I'm not posting this to pat myself on the back, although that is an added bonus. I am using this line to describe why the movie "Airplane" is one of the funniest movies of all time. Even today, 25 years later.
It encounters parody, satire, and just plain, gosh darn goofy goofiness and silliness. Some of the greatest one liners of all time are in this film. Such as "Have you ever seen a grown man naked?", "do you like movies about gladiators?", and "don't call me Shirley". The film was also one of the first parody and comedy films. Now we see films such as "Date Movie", "Scary Movie", and even before those "Naked Gun". But this was one of the very first, "Airplane."
Now we are in the era of the R rated comedy. The gross out, the sex related humor, and the over the top humor. This was a film that was corny, obvious, dorky, nerdy and did it with a straight face looking right at you. The kind of film that you groan while viewing, but also laughing constantly. A lot of the jokes, gags, and humor might go over your head, but that's okay. It references a lot of 70's films, but even if you did not see those films, the humor is still there.
The films two main actors are Julie Hagerty, she plays the stewardess, who once dated Robert Hays, who is also on the plane. He's a former Air Force pilot who had some horrific plane experiences and refuses to fly now. But of course, he will. With help from Julie Hagerty. Not to mention, the real star of the film, the kinky and studly Otto the auto pilot. Who is a blow up doll who in order to give him air, you need to blow on his, well you know.
Not to mention some of the people aboard this plane, which include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who is parodying himself. Also, Lloyd Bridges who even mocks some of his infamous straight roles from back in the day. We get jive speaking African Americans who get put in their place by the mother of the hit show "Leave it to Beaver." As she speaks jive herself! A nun who has a guitar. There is lots of comedy possibilities to be explored here, and they take advantage of every single one of them to their fullest.
25 years later, "Airplane" is still funny and please, stop calling me Shirley!
-Tony Farinella
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