Ever notice that every blockbuster movie has the same fundamental pieces? A hero, a journey, some conflicts to muck it all up, a reward, and the hero returning home and everybody applauding his or...

35,000 Feet Up in the Air: The Year 1980 There's a tried and true tip in the screenwriting world: if you want to create drama, just throw your characters into a confined space. An airplane at a cru...

The narrative structure of Airplane! is tight, clear, and clean, consisting of a steady chronological plot with the occasional flashback to develop character. The story is lifted straight from Zero...

Comedy; Parody; Disaster.Airplane! is first and foremost a comedy, a movie that makes us laugh at a remarkable rate of three laughs per minute. It is also one of the all-time great parody films, us...

Airplane! is a very direct parody of Zero Hour!, down to the plot points, dialogue, character names, and completely unnecessary exclamation point in the title. And though Zero Hour! holds up pretty...

The ending of Airplane! is about as storybook as it gets. Ted overcomes his fear, lands the plane, saves the day, and of course, gets the girl. Just like in Zero Hour! the movie ties things up in a...

PG-13The MPAA awarded Airplane! a PG rating upon its release in 1980. A PG rating? Really? That seems generous for a movie with suggestive language, brief nudity (if you were paying attention), and...