Search - Airplane! on DVD

MPAA Rating: PG Content Advisory: Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children, Adult Humor Movie Release: 1980 DVD Release: 10/24/2000 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 27 mins Studio: Paramount Total Copies: 4 Genres: Comedy, Parody/Spoof, Absurd Comedy, Ensemble Film See Also: Airplane! ["Don't Call Me Shirley!" Edition], Airplane [I Love the 80's Edition]

This spoof of the Airport series of disaster movies relies on ridiculous sight gags, groan-inducing dialogue, and deadpan acting -- a comedy style that would be imitated for the next 20 years. Airplane! pulls out all the clichés as alcoholic pilot Ted Striker (Robert Hays), who's developed a fear of flying due to wartime trauma, boards a jumbo jet in an attempt to woo back his stewardess girlfriend (Julie Hagerty). Food poisoning decimates the passengers and crew, leaving it up to Striker to land the plane, with the help of a glue-sniffing air traffic controller (Lloyd Bridges) and Striker's vengeful former captain (Robert Stack), who must both talk him down. Along the way, we meet a clutch of stock disaster movie passengers like the guitar-strumming nun, a sick little girl, a frightened old lady, and two African-American travelers whose "jive" has to be subtitled. Leslie Nielsen portrays the plane's doctor, launching a new phase of the actor's career that carried him through the next two decades in several similarly comedic roles. The trio of directors Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, and David Zucker responsible for the film would eventually go on to solo careers, but not before making Top Secret! and Ruthless People. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Robert Hays - Ted Striker
Julie Hagerty - Elaine Dickinson
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - Murdock
Lloyd Bridges - McCroskey
Peter Graves - Capt. Oveur
Leslie Nielsen - Dr. Rumack
Robert Stack - Kramer

One of the most popular comedies ever made, Airplane! receives a half-hearted DVD treatment from Paramount. The 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer eclipses any worn and faded print of the film available on video, but the Dolby Digital soundtrack doesn't make any noticeable improvements. The disc disappoints in the area of supplemental material as well. Paramount could have produced a disc full of innovative features that tapped into the comic spirit of the movie, but instead the menus are static and lifeless and the only features available are a trailer and a group commentary recorded by writers and directors Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker, and David Zucker with producer Jon Davison. The trio add some life to the track with funny anecdotes and self-deprecating jokes, but the second half drags and it's obvious -- as even the participants admit -- that there's not much left to say towards the end. Still, the humor involved makes for a more entertaining listen than most commentaries. During the track, the filmmakers allude to ten extra minutes of footage used for the television version of the film, but Paramount misses a prime opportunity to include it on the disc. Airplane! may be a classic comedy, but it fails to get the DVD it deserves. ~ Oliver Thornton, All Movie Guide