Airplane!
A lovelorn former pilot must conquer his fear of flying and land a poisoned passenger jet in this relentlessly deadpan disaster-movie spoof.
Overview
A traumatized pilot must confront his fears and save a flight in chaos.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Breakneck
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- witty
- irreverent
- absurdist
- comedy night
- group movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly regard Airplane! as a highly inventive, relentlessly funny parody and an enduring classic of American comedy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Leslie Nielsen, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, and other actors play extreme aviation emergencies with straight-faced seriousness.
The film systematically spoofs airline disaster movies while also mocking romantic melodrama, war-film heroics, and television conventions.
The cast's established tough-guy images and disaster-film traditions are deliberately repurposed for comic effect.
The airplane crisis is packed with puns, sight gags, non sequiturs, visual callbacks, and throwaway jokes throughout the brief runtime.
Films like Airplane!, and why
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
rapid-fire parody, deadpan delivery, absurdist visual gags, and irreverent ensemble comedy
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
surreal slapstick, escalating comic chaos, verbal absurdity, and irreverent genre spoofing
The Big Bus
disaster-movie parody, broad physical comedy, ensemble farce, and satirical treatment of catastrophe
Top Secret!
high-energy spoof comedy, pop-culture references, and straight-faced performances amid ridiculous situations
Movie Details
- Directors
- Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, David Zucker
- Release Date
- 1980-06-27
- Runtime
- 88 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (5281)
Cast
- Robert Hays
- Julie Hagerty
- Leslie Nielsen
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
- Lloyd Bridges
- Peter Graves
- Robert Stack
- Lorna Patterson
- Jill Whelan
- Ann Nelson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Airplane! about?
- A lovelorn former pilot must conquer his fear of flying and land a poisoned passenger jet in this relentlessly deadpan disaster-movie spoof.
- What is Airplane! like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Airplane! as breakneck, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Airplane! violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Airplane! as mild.
- What did critics think of Airplane!?
- Critics broadly regard Airplane! as a highly inventive, relentlessly funny parody and an enduring classic of American comedy.
- Which films are like Airplane!?
- Films with a similar feel include The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, The Big Bus, and Top Secret!.
- How long is Airplane!?
- Airplane! runs 88 minutes.
- Where can I watch Airplane!?
- In United States, Airplane! streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, YouTube TV, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
