12. Airplane!
Before the spoof genre became a tired mess thanks to the likes of Vampires Suck, Epic Movie and the never-ending Scary Movie films, it was having its heyday in the 1970s and ’80s with the likes of Blazing Saddles, Monty Python and, of course, Airplane!. Undoubtedly one of the best films the parody genre has ever produced, Airplane! is a hilarious satirical take on disaster movies that puts us right in the middle of one that, if it were to happen in real life, would certainly be no laughing matter: when an airline crew falls ill, it’s up to an ex-fighter pilot (Robert Hays) to swallow his pathological fear of flying and land the plane safely, all while trying to rekindle his failed relationship with one of the flight attendants (Julie Hagerty).
Not only was Airplane! a watershed for many of its actors careers (particularly Leslie Neilson, who went on to star in the Naked Gun films because of it), it also features some of the fastest-paced gags you’ll ever see on screen; virtually every joke is ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’. Visual and verbal puns as well as slapstick are used to perfection so much so that the film almost feels like an older (though undeniably more juvenile) cousin of Arrested Development. Its surreal humour combined with its laundry list of unforgettable dialogue make Airplane! essential viewing, which you’ll surely (not Shirley!) have plenty of time to do during the next several weeks of freedom.
Words by Samantha King