AIRPLANE MODE / CERT: 18 / DIRECTORS: DAVID DINETZ, DYLAN TRUSSELL / SCREENPLAY: DAVID DINETZ, DYLAN TRUSSELL, LOGAN PAUL, JAKE PAUL / STARRING: LOGAN PAUL, CHLOE BRIDGES, NICK BATEMAN, JAKE PAUL, MIKAELA HOOVER / RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 14TH
We suppose it had to happen at some point. A film packed with nothing but YouTube ‘stars’. Fortunately, this updating of classic wacko comedy Airplane! gives the narcissistic self-made celebrities a chance to goof off and poke a little fun at their existence.
Full disclosure: we had no clue who most of these people were before watching and had only actually heard of Logan Paul, but in fairness, they don’t do a bad job of being entertaining in what is essentially a re-run of the Abrahams/Zuckers’ film crossed with American Pie.
Not that the plot matters, but a group of YouTubers set off for a convention in Australia. Logan Paul’s afraid of flying, but is desperate to meet his online girlfriend, while his ‘foreign exchange’ brother just wants to pop his cherry. If you’re expecting high-brow humour, you’ll be greatly disappointed. Mid-air, the social media obsessed pack refuse to adhere to the command to switch their phones to airplane mode, causing a malfunction and the deaths of the pilots. And a serial prankster, being extradited by the US government, has escaped his binds and is running riot.
As much as it pains us to say it, this isn’t as bad as it could have been. Some gags land better than others, but there’s a startling amount of sexist, racist, homophobic, and downright sleaze amongst the ‘jokes’. All involved seem to be enjoying it, which does it more favours than you’d think. Some of the more outrageous jokes are at the expense of the stars themselves, and there’s even some political satire, particularly during the airport security sequence. It’s telling, though, that the ‘stars’ still don’t really come across as likeable. It’s odd that since most of the audience of for YouTubers are teens that they choose to include wall-to-wall sex references – evidenced by the film’s certificate. We’re not talking Carry On-style innuendo, this is hardcore.
A number of surreal moments are worth watching out for, especially the termites and flashback to Paul’s first attempt at flying. If you like your humour at a base level, you’ll probably get a lot out of this. If you’re of a certain age and don’t have a clue about any of these folk, it might be best watching the 1980 film instead.
