Airplane!

Rating:
Summary: There's never been any parking in the white zone...
Review: "Surely you can't be serious"
"I am, and don't call me Shirley!"
Classic lines from a classic spoof-comedy. It doesn't get much funnier than this.
Ok so we all agree it's a classic spoof-comedy - but what about the DVD? I can't complain for lack of special features - the movie is what's important. And about the movie, I have noticed that there are parts missing (yes, scenes were cut out) of the DVD that were in the original movie!
One such scene is when the two children are play-acting as adults drinking coffee, when he asks her how she takes her coffee, she replies, "black, like my men". This isn't in the DVD but was in the original TV version. There are a few more such incidents (One with the hysterical girl who had "never really been with a man before" - this really makes me mad - I wonder if they cut these parts out for politial correctness or ??
It makes no sense to me. Watch your old version and then the DVD - you'll notice that scenes are cut out and that's just not right. So while the ORIGINAL movie gets ***** five stars, the DVD with it's missing scenes gets only *** and a big boo! from me.

Rating:
Summary: Comedy Genius
Review: The american film institute calls this one of the top ten funniest movies of all time...I'd have to say they may be right. It certainly lives as one of the classic comedies. This movie has laughs from the opening to the ending even after the credits. It has an all-star cast and although this movie has it's share of laughs and stars the one that I thought was the highlight was Stephen Stucker as Johnny. One of the lines he gets is "Johnny, what can you make out of this", in response he says "well, let's see, I can make a hat, a broche..." his character was just extremely funny, you've got 2 jive talkers, a girl who needs a heart transplant who gets her IV plucked out by a guitar playing stewardess, and overly stressed wife who gets beaten into submission by the passengers and a Doctor who hates being called "Shirley":) A must have!!!

Rating:
Summary: Oh, Stewardess...I Speak Jive.
Review: 'Airplane' is a classic of comedy. I first saw it in the theater as a teen, and have watched it every couple of years since. It's true that the gags are shopworn now, but they are assembled in such a fun and politically incorrect way, that they never cease to amuse. One reviewer sniffed that he had tired of them and made a point of complaining about people quoting lines from the film in everyday conversation, which I find difficult to believe: I'm an airline pilot and all of us know these lines, but only extremely rarely do we actually hear them. If this is really a problem for him, I suggest that maybe he not watch the film anymore since he apparently doesn't like it; as for those of us who do enjoy it, have at it.

I hope that there is an enhanced DVD offered in the future; I would be especially interested in hearing interviews with Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty. As it is, though, the disk isn't totally unrewarding. There is a copy of the original promotional trailer, and there is a wonderful option to have the Zuckers and Jim Abrahams voice over the film commenting on various issues. For instance, did you know that:

-David Letterman screen tested for the movie?
-It took only 34 days to make the entire film?
-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar did the movie for $30,000, which he invested in a new toupee?
-That Maureen McGovern was the nun?
-The Zucker's Mom was the notorious 'makeup lady' who had extreme mascara emergencies?

The list goes on and on. It was fascinating listening to the filmmakers discuss the making of the film. I can't believe that this much comic greatness cost under $3.5 million to make. Until the special edition comes out buy the DVD and watch it; it truly doesn't go out of style.

Rating:
Summary: This Hilarious Movie Needs A Special Edition DVD!
Review: Airplane is a terrific and hilarious movie, I liked it when I first saw it in the movie theater when I was a teen and I like it now and I think all of the actors were great and very funny but especially, Leslie Nielsen, Robert Hayes, Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves and Julie Haggerty. There are a lot of hilarious scenes in this movie with funny gags and jokes that should have you laughing out loud. I want to buy this comedic classic on DVD but I think I will wait for a special edition DVD with extra features like deleted scenes, bloopers, etc so until then I will hang on to my video.

Rating:
Summary: Movie is great, but right now I've got rage toward Paramount
Review: Another one of those DVDs, where the movie is a must-own, but the DVD falls a little short. Presumably there's at least a few interviews to be had...maybe some TV spots...anything to fill a DVD of such a classic movie up a little bit more. Same goes for all the Naked Gun movies (and those are especially shamed for having no participation by Leslie Nielsen on any of them).

Rating:
Summary: Looks like I picked the wrong movie to watch more than twice
Review: Like others, I enjoyed this fun little misadventure full of silly puns, droll humor, amazing sight gags, and other moments of hilarity. Well, actually I enjoyed watching it the first two times, and then got tired of all the silliness. The jokes and gags don't hold up all that well after multiple viewings with me (sadly, this has been the case with most of the other Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker comedies as well). Although I must admit, it was good to finally see the uncut and uncensored version of this flick after viewing the sanitized network rendition so many times. Who could forget such moments as the stewardess reinflating the auto-pilot? Or a certain waste product hitting a table fan in the air-traffic-control tower? Or a nice, perky pair of... um... well, you'll have to see that part for yourself...

But if there's anything sadder than a movie that I don't find all that funny anymore, it's those people who like to recite all those 'classic' gag lines from the movie. Do you know how many times I've heard that whole "Roger, Oveur" spiel over the years? More than once, which is WAY too much! Then there're those folks who love to spout those inappropriate questions that Peter Graves asks that little kid in the cockpit at the drop of a hat. I swear to God, if someone ever asks me if I like to watch movies with gladiators in them, I'm gonna show 'em what it's like to be on the losing end of a gladiatorial contest!!! And, thanks to this flick, I no longer start off any question with the word 'surely' anymore! And I'm never able to ask, "what is it?", without someone making some snide, tangential remark ending with, "...but that's not important now"! Then there's those weirdos who always "pick the wrong day to quit" whatever habit they're trying to break. And don't even get me started about the jive talkin'! I tells ya, 'Airplane!' nuts are right up there with 'Monty Python' fans on the annoyance scale when it comes to reciting their fave lines! Well, actually the 'Airplane!' nuts are a step below the Pythoners; at least the former group doesn't recite their lines in really bad British accents...

Then there's the sad case of Leslie Nielsen, who became both discovered (or re-discovered if you're a big 'Forbidden Planet' fan) and type-cast with his role as the doctor. Admittedly, his overall demeanor and droll, deadpan delivery of comedic lines would help him out in the 'Naked Gun' flicks. But then he became the 'go-to' guy for every lame-o sight-gag-laden 'Airplane!'-style comedy out there (remember 'Spy Hard'? I know I sure do, even though I wish I didn't!), which pretty much sunk his chances of ever being taken seriously as a dramatic actor. 'Course, I know what'cher thinkin'-- he didn't HAVE to accept all those lame roles. But hey, the guy's got a lifestyle to maintain!

'Late

Post Script: just a heads-up to all you wild 'n' crazy 'Airplane!' fans: the movie will be celebrating its 25th anniversary pretty soon. And you know what that means, right? That's right-- more'n likely, Paramount's gonna celebrate the anniversary by doing what I call the Dreaded DVD Double-Dip Maneuver on this flick (see my "So You'd Like To..." guide for more info on this annoying phenomenon). I just have a gut feeling that they're gonna re-release 'Airplane!' on a special edition digital disc that'll have a heckuva lot more extras and special features than the bare-bones platter that's bein' offered here. Things such as trailers, behind-the-scenes featurettes, a feature-length commentary audio track, and all the other junk they put on deluxe DVDs nowadays. So needless to say, if you're an all-out 'Airplane!' aficionado who's just gotta have it all when it comes to feature-packed DVDs, you might wanna hold off buying this particular platter, and wait a little longer. Don't become a DVD Double-Dip victim like so many others (including myself) have!

You've been warned...

'Later

Rating:
Summary: Still funny after all these years!
Review: This is one of the funniest movies! I still love the AutoPilot!

Rating:
Summary: Surely, one of the best!
Review: I won't go into a long recital of all the one liners and puns from this movie. However, I will say that after you watch this film, you will be repeating the lines for the rest of your life. I saw this movie in the theaters when it first came out and now own it on DVD. This is a rare example of a comedy classic that grabs you from the beginning and holds you in stitches until the very end (and I mean the end, you have to read all the credits and wait for the final joke AFTER the credits are done!). If you've never seen this film, see it! If you have fond memories of it from almost 25 years ago, it will still tickle your funny bone.

Rating:
Summary: Oh Stewardess, I speak jive
Review: This is a great spoof style comedy that makes fun of both the 70s genre of disaster flicks as well as a few popular fads of this time (John Travolta's dance scene in Saturday Night Fever). Even if this movie is "before-your-time", you can still get a lot of laughs. Among other things, this makes fun of the serious romantic situations that are plugged into many dramas (for instance, the girl with the long goodbye to the soldier leaving, the island scene where two individuals fall in love, the man telling his life story of love to everyone he meets, etc).

Robert Hays plays Ted Striker, a pilot in the army who is trying to regain love for Elaine (Julie Hagerty), a stewardess. There is actually a story to the movie, but there are so many funny jokes and bits added in that it almost becomes a secondary element.

Silliness reigns supreme. The three pilots names are Victor, Clearance and Roger ("That's a roger, Roger....What's our vector, Victor?...Do we have clearance?, etc). Deadpan-serious Leslie Neilson is also amoung the cast, playing a doctor on board (Surely, you can't be serious. Neilson's response: I am serious. And don't call me Shirley.). There is also a hilarious scene with Barbara Billingsley (Beaver's mom on Leave it to Beaver), in which she attempts to help a situation by offering to speak jive ("Oh stewardess, I speak jive."). Robert Stack plays a former pilot that worked with Striker in the army, and tries to talk him down and build up his confidence to land the plane. Lloyd Bridges plays the man at control who barks orders at everyone, becomes stressed out, and has a running joke about all the things he shouldn't of given up this week (smoking, drinking, etc).

Overall, a hilarious spoof. This really was the first of its kind; many spoofs that have come out since have followed the same type of formula for making fun of movies and shows. I highly reccomend giving this one a try.

Rating:
Summary: This is the funniest movie ever
Review: Three words: Funniest Movie Ever. I take no responsibility if you are disappointed but I just made 4 of my friends watch...then next day I bought Airplane 2.