Comic Masterpiece

Rex Kramer: [talking to Steve McCroskey] Our only hope is to build this man up. We gotta give him all the confidence we can.
[to Striker]
Rex Kramer: Striker, have you ever flown a multi-engine plane before?
Ted Striker: No, never.
Rex Kramer: Shit. It's a God damn waste of time. There's no way he can land this plane.

I was reading an article where many of today's top comic actors were being asked what the funniest movie of all time was. Sadly, many of them said Borat. I thought Borat was okay, but it was mostly reheated skits from the Borat segments on Showtime's Da Ali G Show. Very little in the movie was original. And the few original bits were mainly the stuff featuring the actors acting, not real people reacting, and was thus less funny. I'm not saying it was a bad movie. I'm just wondering how multiple comedians could rank that above the movies that probably inspired them to become comedians.

Others did mention classics such as Annie Hall, This is Spinal Tap and Dr. Strangelove, but it shocked me that Borat was the film proclaimed "the winner" in this article.

One thing that made me happy, however, was that at least one person on the list mentioned Airplane as his favorite comedy. I loved, loved, loved this movie as a kid. The comedian who proclaimed his love for the film mentioned that the dialogue was amazingly "portable." I would agree. I use Airplane quotes on a regular basis, whether people pick up on them or not. The above is one of my faves, if just because I can actually picture the scene in my head every time I read the quote.

If you've never seen it, I suggest you check it out. And if you are already a fan, why not brush up on some quotes from the film. You never know when you'll need a good line.

"Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?"