Aylmer to Zazzoo and Beyond: Flight

Sunday, November 25, 2012

Flight - Review

FLIGHT
(2012 - November 2)
Drama
2 hr. 18 min.

Rated: R Intense action sequence, drug and alcohol abuse, vulgar language, sexuality and full frontal nudity. Common Sense Media says Iffy for 16+. Read More
Grade: C
Director: Robert Zemeckis
Writer: John Gatins
Stars: Nadine Velazquez, Denzel Washington and Carter Cabassa | See full cast and crew

A commercial airline pilot Whip Whitaker (Denzel Washington) has a problem with drugs and alcohol, though so far he's managed to complete his flights safely. His luck runs out when a disastrous mechanical malfunction sends his plane hurtling toward the ground. Whip pulls off a miraculous crash-landing that results in only six lives lost. Shaken to the core, Whip vows to get sober -- but when the crash investigation exposes his addiction, he finds himself in an even worse situation.

Like Rise of the Guardians, I had avoided seeing this film. Against my better judgement I decided I give it a chance after all I was pleasantly surprised by Rise of the Guardians. BIG mistake. The promos for this film basically consist of a 'bait and switch' scam. The trailers suggest a film about the heroics of a pilot who's plane crashes and the consequential investigation into the cause of the disaster that results in the death of both passengers and crew members. Yes, in fact, it is about that but the primary story is about drug and alcohol abuse, deceit, dysfunctional people and the scum that shield these jerks from culpability and personal responsibility. Granted he was not the cause of the accident, the accident did however bring to light his despicable selfishness and violation of the public trust that his job demands. His contempt for the passengers who pay his generous salary and put their lives in his drunken hands is appalling, yet director Robert Zemeckis wants us to feel badly for him.

Watching Flight was as torturous as sitting through Leaving Las Vegas, more or less like watching the same film except set in the airline industry. If I'd wanted to see a film about immoral, vile, worthless, scumbags liars and their decisions of whether to go to AA or not, or blame others for their problems and the other scumbags that run interference for them (John Goodman follows up a particularly sleazy foul mouthed performance in Argo by going a step or two further in Flight) etc. etc. etc. I'd have sought out such a film. If I had wanted to see tasteless full frontal nudity (is it really necessary to hear the sounds of a woman on the toilet) I could have sought that out too. There is one particularly annoying and pointless monologue by a cigarette craving cancer patient (James Badge Dale), truly groan worhty.

The characters in this film are almost all unsympathetic, immoral or amoral, enabling, foul mouthed skanks. Why would I want to pay money to drag myself through the mud of their self-indulgent, egocentric, meaningless lives. The way the story plays out it's as if the plight of the poor, hapless, divorced, boozer, coke-head pilot is more important than the crash victims and their families who must deal with the lost lives of their loved ones...but noooo, poor Denzel, he has a DISEASE, he can't help himself, it's not his fault. Poor, poor Denzel. But wait, since he ultimately steps up to the plate at the last minute and does the right thing (much to the disdain of his friends and lawyer) all of his previous deceptions and efforts to avoid culpability is now to be forgiven and he can assume his role of the hero again.

Balderdash! Please spare me the P.C. sentimentality. Even if we consider the film for what it is. If we do want to see a film about the perils of substance abuse (Lecturing from Hollywood--now that's rich!). If we do think it can have a positive message and be a learning experience, a morality tale so to speak...why not make it so it can reach a younger audience where it would do the most good. That would merely require toning down the language and eliminating the absolutely gratuitous and pointless nudity and sordid sexuality. The film could then be given a PG-13 rating opening it up to a much broader audience, an audience that could learn something from the film's message before it is too late. My grade of a 'C' is probably generous but the acting is good and the air crash scene is quite compelling.

Plot

"Flight" tells the redemption story of "Whip" (Washington), a commercial airline pilot who pulls off a heroic feat of flying in a damaged plane, saving 98 lives on a flight carrying 106 people. While the world begs to embrace him as a true American Hero, the everyman struggles with this label as he is forced to hold up to the scrutiny of an investigation that brings into question his behavior the night before the doomed flight.