Flying High (aka “Airplane”) is a 1980 American satirical comedy featuring Leslie Nielsen, Robert Stack and Lloyd Bridges.
Voted “one of the 10 funniest movies ever made” by the American Film Institute, “Flying High” is a masterpiece of off-the-wall comedy. Featuring Robert Hays as an ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning; Julie Hagerty as his girlfriend/stewardess/co-pilot; and a cast of all-stars including Robert Stack, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, Leslie Nielsen, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar…and more!
Their hilarious high jinks spoof airplane disaster flicks, religious zealots, television commercials, romantic love… the list whirls by in rapid succession. And the story races from one moment of zany fun to the next.
- Nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical/Comedy, another 2 award wins and 5 nominations.
Airplane / Flying High Reviews
“There's hardly a second that passes without an assault by a wickedly accurate spoof, cringe-inducing pun or inspired sight gag, and the years have not diminished the film's dumb appeal.” Radio Times
“From the clever Jaws take-off opening to the final, irreverent title card, laughs come thick and fast.” Variety
“Charmingly dated, but still immeasurably funny.” IGN
“Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker took over-the-top whacko madcap screwball comedy to new extremes with this parody of the series of Airport films of the 1970s. There's enough gags here to fill a much longer film than this one, so even if not all of them work, you still won't stop laughing.” At a Glance Film Reviews
“Surely as good as modern comedy gets?…and don't call me Shirley.” Empire Magazine
“Although the gags aren't entirely consistent, it's inspired stuff. And whatever you do don't switch off during the closing credits.” Film4
“It's now a familiar formula, but Airplane still retains an edge because the audience is credited with intelligence.” BBC
“Airplane!” is a comedy in the great tradition of high school skits, the Sid Caesar TV show, Mad magazine, and the dog-eared screenplays people's nephews write in lieu of earning their college diplomas. 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.” Roger Ebert
“…a nonstop flurry of slapstick sight gags, puns, innuendoes, exaggerations, and caricatures. A comedy classic.” Movie Metropolis