Airplane! (1980)

Director: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker
Starring: Robert Hays, Julie Hagerty, Leslie Nielsen

Synopsis:
A traumatized former pilot must take the helm of a commercial flight stricken with severe food poisoning.

Impressions:
This is a landmark film in the subgenre of parody and rightfully regarded as one of the top comedy films ever made. This is a rather dense picture, loaded with gags both visual and verbal. Not all the jokes will win you over, but you'll probably find yourself chuckling the next second. There's also quite the range in the types of comedy being employed, so anyone with a functional sense of humor is bound to find a fair bit to like about this. Amusingly, a lot of serious actors (even if they would later be known for comedy) like Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges and Robert Stack are given their first comic role in this and are largely played straight to great effect. I'd argue that they're the best part of the cast, but the lead couple of Robert Hays and Julie Hagerty aren't bad. There are also fun cameos, like that of Barbara Billingsley. Particularly in the wake of the glut of disaster films of the 70s, this had to be quite the breath of fresh air. If you want a good laugh, this is well worth seeing.

Rating:
Watch It