AIRPLANE! - DVD review

The Movie According to John:
"Airplane!" is a seminal film, one that is certainly important in and of itself (I mean, it's darned funny), but one that is also important for what it engendered, what films it encouraged over the next two decades. "Airplane!" was the brainchild of writer and directors Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker. Together, they made a spoof in 1980 of disaster movies, and in the process they wound up poking fun at just about every Hollywood movie cliché they could think of. The result is a nonstop flurry of sight gags, puns, innuendoes, exaggerations, caricatures, you name it. If one joke doesn't get you, expect another one a second later that probably will. If you've never seen it, you'll either find it hilarious or the silliest thing you've ever watched. I lean toward hilarious.

The movie takes aim primarily at Arthur Hailey's "Airport," but along the way it skewers as many disaster-movie stereotypes as time allows. The plot is simple (or simpleminded); the entire flight crew of a passenger plane bound from L.A. to Chicago is stricken with food poisoning, and only one other person on board can fly them to safety.

The hero is Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a former pilot who hasn't flown since a tragic accident during "the War" (presumably the Second World War, judging by the flashback war footage, which would make Striker a man in his sixties at least, yet he's played by a fellow clearly no more than thirty, one of the running jokes in the film). Striker's love interest is a stewardess and former girlfriend, Elaine (Julie Hagerty), who ably assists him in his attempts to fly the plane and overcome his drinking problem (he can't find his mouth with a glass of water). "I guess the foot's on the other hand now."

The biggest key to the movie's success is casting Hollywood tough guys, macho actors, in comic parts and then asking them to play it straight. So, deadpanning their way through the shenanigans are Peter Graves as Capt. Oveur, Leslie Nielsen as Dr. Rumack, Robert Stack as Rex Kramer, Lloyd Bridges as McCroskey, and basketball star Kareem Abdul Jabaar as copilot Roger Murdock. It was this role-reversal gimmick more than anything else that inspired the later proliferation of movies like "The Naked Gun" and "Top Secret."

Among the better moments: A little girl who needs a heart transplant is serenaded by a well-meaning stewardess who separates her from her life support; the Mayo Clinic is filled with shelves of mayonnaise; a nun is reading "Boy's Life" and a little boy is reading "Nun's Life"; a barroom brawl breaks out between two Girl scouts; and not-quite-accurate subtitles are used for two Afro-Americans speaking jive. Besides "Airport," the film parodies things like "Saturday Night Fever," "From Here To Eternity," "Knute Rockne, All American" (although it would have been even funnier had the filmmakers been able to get Pat O'Brien to do the takeoff on his famous "Win one for the Gipper" speech), TV commercials, and Tupperware parties.

"Surely, you can't be serious?" asks Striker. "I am serious," responds the doctor, "and don't call me Shirley."

It's all very reminiscent of "Mad" magazine, surely Abraham and the Zucker's inspiration, with every scene filled with background activity that's at least as funny as the foreground material. Perhaps, though, the only gag that may be lost on today's audiences is one involving Howard Jarvis, the tax-cutting California congressman, sitting in a parked taxi with the meter running throughout the film, his fare going higher and higher. It was topical back then. Look, too, for cameos by Ethel Merman, Jimmy Walker, Kenneth Tobey, Lee Terri (looking suspiciously like Terri Garr), and Stephen Stucker as Johnny, the wildly prissy wacko who practically steals the show.

The Movie According to Justin:
Nearly everything that can be said has been about "Airplane." John hit it right on the head: this is one of the funniest movies ever made. The best part is its rewatchability; I've seen "Airplane" a half-dozen times and pick up on new things each time. Few films get better with age, and "Airplane" is no exception. Fortunately the film gets better with experience; the more you know abot cinema and late-70s pop culture, the funnier the movie will be. For instance, I got the "Spartacus" joke for the first time while watching the movie to prepare this review.

A wonderful mix of satire, slapstick and goofball comedy, "Airplane" is funny from start to finish. Whereas most comedy films have spots where they slow down, "Airplane doesn't suffer the same woes. It's fairly short, running just under an hour and a half, "Airplane" may not have a lot of story, but it sure does have a lot of funny.

Video:
The quality of the original Paramount release wasn't bad, per se, but I do think this new "Don't Call Me Shirley" edition DVD is an improvement. The Anamorphic widescreen transferis perfectly clean. There is a little bit of grain that runs in the print, but it is only noticeable during dark scenes. The colors are muted and dull, but that properly reflects the original print. I saw a couple of scratches and specks pop up on occasion, but this film looks as good today as it has in the past 25 years.

Audio:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 remix is by-and-large unremarkable. The surround sound channels are hardly used, and most of the dialogue and effects are restricted to the main channels. The track is clean and well-balanced. It sounds great.

Extras:
The unfortunately-titled "Don't Call Me Shirley" edition DVD is a big step up from the original barebones set released a few years ago. Perhaps my favorite little bonus is the animated menu screens that combine airplane safety cards and the best gags from the film.

The new commentary from the directorial team, Jerry Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and David Zucker is packed with information about the making of the film, the style, and pointing out cameos and goofs. There aren't any dull moments during the hour and a half running time.

You can simultaneously play the trivia track that points out cameos, trivial bits that are a little redundant from the commentary, and movie connections.

The "Long Haul" version is a follow-the-white rabbit-style presentation as a small icon will appear that contains retrospective interviews from the cast and crew, plus a host of deleted scenes. The interviews cover a lot of the ground that's skimmed over in the commentary, particularly the jive-talking sequences. None of these are viewable outside this track, which is unfortunate for fans that like to watch the movie and want to keep the extras second.

The original three and a half minute theatrical trailer is included on this disc, along with previews for a handful of recent and upcoming Paramount DVDs like "Tommy Boy" and the new "Bad News Bears."

There is also a mail-away offer for your own "Otto the Auto Pilot" inflatable doll, for just six dollars. And you thought the "King Kong" poster was a good deal! That offer is included on an insert that, keeping with the theme of the movie, is a nice spoof of airlines and the safety insert cards.

Film Value:
There is no better way to put it – "Airplane" is a comedy classic. Loaded with laughs, there is a lot to love in this film. This new DVD presentation finally gives the film its due in terms of A/V quality, and also in extra feature content. It is absolutely worth the upgrade.