Airplane!
An ex-fighter pilot forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.
Review Sentiment
Dr. Rumack delivers the Shirley line as Otto the inflatable autopilot is activated
Ted breaks down in the cockpit amid wartime flashbacks as Kramer talks him through procedures
The film surges from its mid-film dramatic-parody lull around Ted's wartime flashback breakdown (6.8) to the universally beloved Shirley line and Otto autopilot sequence (9.0), a swing of 2.2 points driven by Leslie Nielsen's iconic deadpan delivery.
Airplane! opens with immediate comedic confidence, builds to a peak around the Shirley line and Otto's introduction, and sustains strong audience enthusiasm through the landing climax with only a modest dip during the mid-film wartime flashback sequences. Reviewers consistently praise the film's density of layered gags, deadpan performances, and rare ability to maintain comedic energy across its full 88-minute runtime. The overall arc is one of high and sustained delight, anchored by iconic one-liners and sight gags that audiences still cite as benchmarks of the spoof genre.
Full cast
Showing 20 of 74
Robert Hays
Ted Striker
Julie Hagerty
Elaine Dickinson
Leslie Nielsen
Dr. Rumack
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Roger Murdock
Lloyd Bridges
Steve McCroskey
Peter Graves
Capt. Clarence Oveur
Robert Stack
Captain Rex Kramer
Lorna Patterson
Randy
Jill Whelan
Lisa Davis
Ann Nelson
Hanging Lady
Jim Abrahams
Religious Zealot #6
Jonathan Banks
Gunderson
Stephen Stucker
Johnny Henshaw-Jacobs
Frank Ashmore
Victor Basta
Craig Berenson
Paul Carey
Barbara Billingsley
Jive Lady
Lee Bryant
Mrs. Hammen
Joyce Bulifant
Mrs. Davis
Mae E. Campbell
Security Lady
Ethel Merman
Lieutenant Hurwitz
Crew
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