Judy Thorburn's Movie Reviews
View From The Top
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- Category: Judy Thorburn
- Published on 24 November 2008
- Written by Judy Thorburn
Judy Thorburn
View From The Top
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“VIEW FROM THE TOP’’- AIRLINE COMEDY BARELY WINGS IT
Gwyneth Paltrow is lovely, talented and an Academy Award winner. So, the question is, why would an actress with her ability to grab meaty roles, pick such a trite and formulaic comedy such as View From the Top? Maybe, dear Gwyneth saw herself in this role for real at one time, and now has a chance to live a childhood’s dream, if only in a movie. Hey, don’t all young women aspire to become a first class flight attendant? Only kidding. Maybe for some, but for Gwyneth, acting was already in the cards. After all, she was destined to enter the acting profession, having been born with a silver spoon in her mouth. It’s her birthright, Mom being actress Blythe Danner, Dad the late director Bruce Paltrow.
Anyway, I digress. On to the review. Gwyneth Palrow is the star of this harmless, occasionally humorous flick about a young woman from small town Silver Springs, Nevada whose dream of a better life is sparked when she views motivational speaker and author of My Life In the Sky, Sally Weston (Candace Bergen) talking on TV. She sees herself as an international first class flight attendant for a major airline and living a dreamed life of traveling the world. But, things don’t come easy, as she first finds out, starting at a small Laughlin Airline before trying out for the big guys, Royalty, the airline with “class”. Along the way she teams up with two other aspiring “waitresses in the sky”, the sexy, airhead, Christine (Christina Applegate) who just happens to be a jealous kleptomaniac, and sweet, enormous breasted Sherry (Kelly Preston) who follow in her high heeled footsteps applying for training at the Royalty Learning Center, headed by cross eyed instructor, John Whitney (Mike Myers). And, then there’s the romantic interest, Tim (Mark Ruffalo), very necessary to the “message”, and the story’s predictable conclusion. TV’s former Murphy Brown, Bergen acts a mentor/mother figure who sees something special in Donna, offering her own brand of philosophical advice about “staying focused” in order to reach her destiny. Myers supplies the comedy and sight gags; there’s the stereotyped gay steward (Joshua Molina), and many brief cameo appearances such as Rob Lowe, Chad Everett, and veteran actor (long time, no see) George Kennedy.
View From the Top appears to make an attempt at a lot of things. It’s a mixture of campy comedy, satire, and romance, mixed with some retro music (Cindy Lauper’s Time After Time playing time after time- we GOT it, enough is enough!) and clothing styles. But, the result is just another one of those cliché driven, contrivance filled comedies that has more fluff than heart. The (what have become obligatory) outtakes, were unfunny, lacked credibility, and looked like they were especially made for the ending add ons. Even the song and dance number, We Are Royalty, sung to the tune of We Are Family by the entire cast was a failed attempt to attract members of the audience who were leaving the theatre.
However, Gwyneth has never looked more beautiful. And, I must say, even with this simple walkthrough script, her likeable, natural manner and acting ease, almost makes this a worthwhile film. But, I would advise Christina Applegate to give, what has become a signature role of ditzy slut, a rest already. I think she has played this kind of character one too many times. Is she stuck in typecast hell, or what?
The basic message comes down this to this…be careful what you wish for. You might get it. Then what do you do? Do you follow your head, or your heart? Lofty conception, huh? Not really. It’s a formula that has been applied numerous times in movies, but often done better. Here, the airline industry is used as a plot device. Does it fly high? Despite it’s occasional cuteness, it fails to takeoff.