Airplane!: Critic Reviews

Airplane! is more than a pleasant surprise, in the midst of this dim movie season. As a remedy for the bloated self-importance of too many other current efforts, it's just what the doctor ordered.

It is sophomoric, obvious, predictable, corny, and quite often very funny. And the reason it's funny is frequently because it's sophomoric, predictable, corny, etc.

The gags aren't exactly clever, but there are a lot of them, and the cutting finds a fast, effective tempo.

From the clever Jaws take-off opening to the final, irreverent title card, laughs come thick and fast.

The fact that the movie doesn't work as well today as it did in 1980 in no way diminishes its importance in recent motion picture history.

Rapid-fire parody aimed squarely at teen boys.

A hyper spoof of disaster films.

Entering imto Mel Brooks' turf, the first lampoon of the disaster-in-the-air subgenre (such as the prepoterously Oscar nominated Airport) is silly but funny, with many good sight gags, campy one-liners and slapstick comedy.

Most of the jokes are groan-worthy, and some are downright racist.

Is it the best comedy ever made? I don't know, but it surely is the funniest.I stand by that. And don't call me Shirley.

Surely as good as modern comedy gets?...and don't call me Shirley.

Surely, this is essential. Maybe, but don't call me Shirley, etc.

Although the gags aren't entirely consistent, it's inspired stuff. And whatever you do don't switch off during the closing credits.

Loaded with slapstick silliness and schoolboy wordplay, featuring tongue-in-cheek performances by familiar television personalities, and mostly just plain goofy.

Brilliant, still funny airplane disaster movie parody. Started new comedy career for Nielsen.

Still the funniest and most inspired of the madcap genre spoofs. For every dumb or tasteless joke that doesn't fly, a dozen land directly at Laugh Central.

Some of the humor has become very politically incorrect 25-plus years later. And God love it for that.

Psycho ground controllers (Stack and Bridges), laff-a-second pace, and bludgeoning innuendo make this the acceptable face of the locker-room satire.

The definition of 'deadpan' starts and ends with Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker's Airplane!.

Unprecedented nonsense that--fashions aside--will remain timeless comedy cinema. [new DVD review]

You'll laugh, you'll wish you didn't have to.

Sustains a single premise for its entire running time, and does so without lagging or going limp.

It may run 90 minutes, but it takes me 120 minutes to watch it after rewinding through the jokes I missed because I was laughing too hard at the joke prior to it.