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November 1, 2024
A Binge too Far #46: Airplane! duo (1980 – 1982)
Leslie Nielsen and Robert Hays in Airplane! (1980) |
Taking its cue from the disaster film genre in general and Zero Hour! (1957) in particular, the Airplane! (1980 – 1982) duo is treating us with some really outrageous comedy!
Airplane! (1980) poster
Airplane! (1980)
A goofy ex-fighter
pilot (Robert Hays) must take control of a commercial airplane when all crew
members become ill with food poisoning. Will he manage to land it safely and
win the love of his ex-girlfriend (Julie Hagerty)? Will the only doctor (Leslie
Nielsen) on board help matters or will he prove equally goofy?
The writing and
directing team of Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, and Jerry Zucker make a slapstick
parody of the disaster film genre without becoming too removed from the source
material, and deliver a wild comedy that became a phenomenon. It grossed a
stunning $171 million on a modest $3.5 million budget and even won a few
awards, along with critical appreciation.
Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)
Airplane
II: The Sequel (1982)
It is now the
future, and a commercial flight to space is suffering a computer malfunctions
that changes its route to the sun. Ted Striker (Robert Hays) recently escaped
from a psychiatric ward and it is now up to him to save the day.
With the
original team behind the glorious original comedy nowhere on sight and with Ken
Finkelman handling both writing and directing duties, this is funny enough to
guarantee for a good time, but nowhere near as outrageous as the first outing.
Julia Hagerty is also welcomingly back, but the absence of Leslie Nielsen hurt
the proceedings. A third instalment was announced but since this grossed a mere
$27.2 million on a $15 million budget, these plans never materialized.
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