esrosedotblog

AIRPLANE(1980)

Movie of the day; NYTimes1000Best; first of the modern spoof franchises; Zucker Brothers invented it and split up after three films. It holds up very well; but I never saw the original; all of it is first blush. It is the first funny movie for Leslie Nielsen. We saw him earlier this year in FORBIDDEN PLANET (photo) which was not meant to be funny but was.

I remember Nielsen from the early days of television. He was the stock pretty boy in all the mediocre live dramas and I sort of dreaded seeing him in the marquee; his presence usually meant a second rate 'watch'. He was the straight-ahead guy who didn't get the girl or, perhaps, the executive who was a shade too incompetent or dishonest or both. He worked all the time as far as I could tell. Up until AIRPLANE there are 70 or so credits.

Then, in this film, transformation! He plays a Doctor; a relatively important but less than star turn. He is a standout in the deadpan department. I think that he has merely carried his persona into the realm of satire. He is the same second banana without a sense of humor; the same self important near-leading man; the ultimate 'take it too seriously' guy; the consummate underqualified airhead. In one step, he became a star by doing the same boring thing in a different setup. I hope the Zucker brothers got a percentage of his salary for the remaining years in which he stars in (count them) 54 films and teevee specials; all being funny. Many of these went straight to cassette.

As has famously been said: (George S. Kaufman I believe) 'Satire is what closes on Saturday Night'. Tough to do well. I give this film a 3 out of NetFlix 5; not because it is mediocre so much as to let them know I wouldn't want any more Leslie Nielsen films. The 'recommended' machine has a way of going to the star for the repeats. Maybe I should give it a two. Loved the film and had enough, thank you.