Review: 'Airplane - 40th Anniversary Edition' Finds the Jokes Still Fly

What film can actually make you laugh out loud at the same jokes forty years after it was initially released? For me, it's the 1980 classic spoof comedy "Airplane," an irreverent rip on airplane disaster flicks and many, many other things.

Because of many dire situations so far in 2020, now's the perfect time to revisit this non-stop giggle-fest and with "Airplane – 40th Anniversary Edition," it's also time to upgrade to this Blu-ray edition, which includes brand new special features.

Robert Hays and Julie Haggerty star as a couple who have to take over the controls of an airplane after the crew falls ill to food poisoning. Besides those two established actors, other TV stars (Robert Stack, Peter Graves), veteran movie actors (Lloyd Bridges, Leslie Nielsen), and even an athlete (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) round out a wacky cast who deliver their lines with the straightest faces possible.

Previous DVD and Blu-ray releases included the "Don't Call Me Shirley" edition, among others. A callback to one of the most known quotes in "Airplane," the charm of this 1980 film is that very thing: Fans can quote the one-liners verbatim. Here are some others:

- "Oh Stewardess... I speak Jive."
- "Joey, do you like movies about Gladiators?"
- "Is there anyone on board that knows how to fly a plane?"
- "Good luck.... we're all counting on you."

The sight gags in the film are endless too; don't dare blink while watching "Airplane," or you'll miss the shit hitting the fan, literally. Or a wife cheating on her husband with a horse, among many other silly sights.

Paramount's 40th-anniversary edition includes two new bonus extras:

"Filmmaker Focus" – a brief interview segment with the writers/directors

"Q&A with the Directors of Airplane" – a great panel discussion filmed in early 2020 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood

"Airplane – 40th Anniversary"
Blu-ray
$29.99
www.paramount.com