The defence The Sentimental Softie
“It owes the canon nothing.”
The movie pursues immediacy and audience pleasure without begging institutions to certify its worth.
Back to trending 
Airplane!
Comedy · 1980
An ex-fighter pilot is forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.
Movie details
Airplane!
“What's slower than a speeding bullet, and able to hit tall buildings at a single bound?”
1980 Comedy 1h 28m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
7.3 / 10
Community rating
An ex-fighter pilot is forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Airplane!?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Arthouse Gremlin
“The stranger, the better.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Comedy · 1986
After high school slacker Ferris Bueller successfully fakes an illness in order to skip school for the day, he goes on a series of adventures throughout Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane and best friend Cameron, all the while trying to outwit his wily school principal and fed-up sister.
Playing with Fire
Family · 2019
A crew of rugged firefighters meet their match when attempting to rescue three rambunctious kids.
Problem Child 2
Comedy · 1991
Junior and his father, Ben, move from Cold River to Mortville. Junior becomes threatened by Ben's desire to date again and find a new mother for Junior, and sabotages each of his dates.
Hot Shots!
Action · 1991
The gang that created Airplane! and The Naked Gun sets its sights on Top Gun in this spoof. Topper Harley is a talented but unstable fighter pilot with an axe to grind: clearing the family name. His mission is to avenge his father and save a mission sabotaged by greedy weapons manufacturers. He also gets involved in a relationship with Ramada Thompson, a woman with an unusually talented stomach. Hot Shots! makes fun of a variety of other films, from Dances with Wolves to The Fabulous Baker Boys.
The Phoenician Scheme
Comedy · 2025
Wealthy businessman Zsa-zsa Korda appoints his only daughter, a nun, as sole heir to his estate. As Korda embarks on a new enterprise, they soon become the target of scheming tycoons, foreign terrorists, and determined assassins.
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Comedy · 1988
When the bumbling Lieutenant Frank Drebin investigates events following the shooting of his partner, he stumbles upon an attempt to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II.
The Naked Gun
Comedy · 2025
Only one man has the particular set of skills... to lead Police Squad and save the world: Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. Following in his father's footsteps, he must solve a murder case to prevent Police Squad from closure.
Airplane II: The Sequel
Comedy · 1982
A faulty computer causes a passenger space shuttle to head straight for the sun, and man-with-a-past Ted Striker must save the day and get the shuttle back on track – again – all the while trying to patch up his relationship with Elaine.
Big Trouble
Comedy · 2002
The story of how a mysterious suitcase brings together, and changes, the lives of a divorced dad, an unhappy housewife, two hitmen, a pair of street thugs, two love struck teens, two FBI men and a psychedelic toad. Based on Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist Dave Barry's best-selling first novel, "Big Trouble."
The Ladykillers
Comedy · 2004
An eccentric, if not charming Southern professor and his crew pose as a band in order to rob a casino, all under the nose of his unsuspecting landlord – a sharp old woman.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Jerry Zucker · David Zucker · Jim Abrahams
Written by
Jim Abrahams · David Zucker · Jerry Zucker
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
Court is in session
Put Airplane! on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Arthouse Gremlin
“Easy pleasure, short half-life.”
It moves efficiently through the moment but offers little reason to keep arguing once the credits end.