Day: May 21, 2024

Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! Book Review

Airplane! (1980) is one of the funniest movies to have ever graced the silver screen. Forty-four years after its initial release, the humor still holds up and the screenplay is still being quoted.

Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! was published last year. Written by the filmmakers (David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker), it details the path from initial concept, to filming, to release, and to immortality. Interviews cast members, comics, and others, the book pulls back the curtain to reveal the magic that is Airplane!

I want to say that I loved the book as much as I did the film. I am sorry to say I had to put it down. The buildup was not there and I was bored.

Do I recommend it? No.

Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! is available wherever books are sold.

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Babes Movie Review

A love story does not have to follow a potentially romantic couple. It can also be between friends, siblings, or a parent and child.

The new movie, Babes, follows longtime besties Eden (Ilana Glazer, who also co-wrote the film with Josh Rabinowitz) and Dawn (Michelle Buteau). Dawn is near her due date with her second child. After a one-night stand with Claude (Stephan James), Eden discovers that she is pregnant. She decides to go ahead with the pregnancy and become a single mother.

Babes is one of my favorite movies of the year so far. Glazer and Rabinowitz’s script is funny, true to life, and speaks to the complications of motherhood, adulthood, and friendship. The chemistry between the lead actors and real-life friends is brilliant.

One of my favorite lines is in the beginning. Eden has to take four trains and more than an hour-long commute just to meet Dawn for their annual Thanksgiving film meetup. Anyone who has lived in NYC for a significant amount of time can relate.

Do I recommend it? Yes.

Babes is currently playing in theaters.