Book Review: Surely You Can't Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane! By Jim Abrahams and Jerry & David Zucker (2023)
Synopsis: The 1980 film Airplane! is a movie that has inspired generations of comedy films despite casting actors that, up until that point, had no comedic experience. This book, written by the men who made the movie, tells the story of how the film came to be along with behind-the-scenes tidbits.
Review: I first saw Airplane! when I was too young to understand why a good chunk of the jokes were supposed to be funny. As I got older and re-watched the film easily a dozen or more times, I began to appreciate both the comedy and the cultural impact the movie had. So, when I came across Surely You Can't Be Serious at the library, I decided to check it out.
I was not disappointed by this choice.
The thing that I like most about this book is how it is how the story is told by the people who were involved with the film instead of someone telling the story second-hand. The anecdotes relating to how the film came to be and what happened when the cameras weren't rolling just hit different as a result of that, especially when they were told in a way that made me laugh.
I especially like the stories about how some of the actors, like Robert Stack, didn't understand what the film was supposed to be. It was intriguing and at the same time, made it easier to see why certain scenes just worked. It made me better appreciate some of the scenes in the film that featured an actor surrounded by chaos but acting as though it was a normal occurrence.
The background about the film's creators was also interesting, with plenty of information I didn't know before. It made me even more impressed with them than I had been because it was clear there were plenty of ways their desire to make this movie could have gone wrong and they could have faded into Hollywood obscurity as a result.
Final Opinion: If you a film lover or just liked Airplane!, this is a book that is worth taking the time to read. It's informative and fun.
My Grade: A
________________________________________________________________________
Here are some reviews of similar books:
Comments
Post a Comment