Airplane! 1980

Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine: Airplane! is a splendidly tacky, totally tasteless, completely insignificant flight, a gooney bird of a movie that looks as if it could never get off the ground and then surprises and delights with its free-spirited aerobatics. Read more

Janet Maslin, New York Times: 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. Read more

Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader: The gags aren't exactly clever, but there are a lot of them, and the cutting finds a fast, effective tempo. Read more

Kathleen Carroll, New York Daily News: Jim Abrahams, David Zucker and Jerry Zucker, who share both writing and directorial credits, become so desperate for laughs that the jokes descend to a much cruder level. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: 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. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: 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. Read more

Don Macpherson, Time Out: Psycho ground controllers (Stack and Bridges), laff-a-second pace, and bludgeoning innuendo make this the acceptable face of the locker-room satire. Read more

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