by Lady Gaga is known for her outrageous fashion, chart-topping dance pop music, and avant-garde persona. But when she’s not commanding the stage or working on new music, Gaga has said she loves kicking back and watching comedies. Specifically, she has called the 1980 disaster movie spoof Airplane! “the funniest movie of all time.”
Airplane! endures as one of the most beloved and iconic comedy films ever made. When it was released in 1980, the movie was a surprise hit and ushered in a whole new era of parody films. Even over 40 years later, Airplane! is still considered by many to be one of the funniest and most quotable movies around.
So what is it about Airplane! that Lady Gaga finds so hilarious? Let’s break down the key reasons why this absurdist parody is Lady Gaga’s pick for the “funniest movie of all time.”
The Plot Is Ridiculously Absurd
At its core, Airplane! is a send-up of the popular 1970s disaster movie genre. Films like The Poseidon Adventure and Airport had featured increasingly implausible and melodramatic storylines, which set them up perfectly to be parodied.
Airplane! takes the disaster formula and adds layers of off-the-wall absurdity. The film follows Ted Striker (Robert Hays), a troubled former Air Force pilot with PTSD and a fear of flying. He boards a passenger jet in an attempt to win back his ex-girlfriend, Elaine (Julie Hagerty), who also happens to be a flight attendant on the plane. What follows is a series of ridiculous events, as the pilots and some passengers are stricken with food poisoning after eating bad fish. This forces Ted to overcome his fears and land the plane, with the help of Dr. Rumack (Leslie Nielsen).
From auto-pilot blow up dolls to Striker having a flashback about being a WWI fighter pilot, the plot of Airplane! just gets zanier as it goes along. The absurd escalation is likely a huge part of the film’s appeal for Gaga. She loves media that is over-the-top, pushes boundaries, and doesn’t take itself too seriously.
The Performances Are Pitch-Perfect Parody
A huge part of what makes Airplane! so incredibly funny is the cast’s deadpan performances. Leslie Nielsen leads the way as Dr. Rumack, the physician who takes charge of treating sick passengers and talking Ted through landing the plane. Nielsen nails the overly-serious, stone-faced delivery necessary to sell such ridiculous dialog and situations.
Lines like, “I just want to tell you both good luck. We’re all counting on you” and “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley” have become iconic precisely because of Nielsen’s sober commitment to the outlandish role. Not only does Lady Gaga love absurdist humor, she also deeply appreciates the skill it takes performers like Nielsen to pull it off flawlessly.
But Nielsen isn’t the only performer keeping a straight face in the madness. Lloyd Bridges is hilarious as the air traffic controller McCroskey, who kicks his smoking habit and drinking problem just in time to guide the plane to safety. Peter Graves from Mission: Impossible is a riot as the deadpan Captain Clarence Oveur. And Robert Hays is excellent as the troubled Ted Striker, selling his return to the cockpit with an emotionally overwrought performance.
For Gaga, the ability of the cast to ground the ridiculous situations with believable acting is a huge part of what makes the comedy work so well.
The Jokes Come at a Frenetic Pace
Airplane! was crafted by the comedy trio of David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker. The three went on to make classics like Top Secret! and The Naked Gun series. Their distinct style uses rapid-fire jokes and gags packed into nearly every moment of runtime.
Airplane! moves at a relentless pace, with jokes coming both visually and verbally. Sight gags like nuns dancing in a conga line and a ground crew member getting sucked into a jet engine punctuate the constant wordplay. Parody is packed into everything from the opening credits (featuring a JAWS spoof) to the dialog exchanges taking wild twists and turns.
This machine-gun style of joke delivery is likely appealing to Lady Gaga’s own bold comedic sensibilities. She loves the film’s breakneck pace, where no gag is too silly and nothing is off limits. Gaga appreciates that the tone is playful rather than mean-spirited, with the comedy targeting genre tropes rather than vulnerable groups.
It Upended Comedy Filmmaking For the 1980s
Not only was Airplane! hugely popular when it premiered, grossing over $80 million, but it had a seismic impact on American film comedies moving forward. The unprecedented success of Airplane! proved that irreverent, parody-driven films could do big business.
The comedic sensibility and style established by Abrahams and the two Zuckers became hugely influential in the 1980s. Proteges like Jerry Seinfeld continued the tradition of rapid-fire gags and absurd situations into the next decade. The nakedly commercial comedies produced by the likes of Aaron Spelling’s operation also owe a debt to the send-up style that Airplane! pushed into the mainstream.
As an artist who also likes to challenge convention and influence the direction of pop culture, this context is likely another reason the film holds such affection for Gaga. She can appreciate that Airplane! represented a major turning point for screen comedy, which was still fairly tame before its arrival.
The Film is Packed With Quotable Lines
Over 40 years since its premiere, Airplane! lives on in the pop culture consciousness largely through its many quotable moments. Lines like “I am serious, and don’t call me Shirley,” “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit smoking,” and “Surely, you can’t be serious…” are still widely repeated and recognized today.
The endlessly quotable script is surely a major part of the lasting appeal for Lady Gaga. As a lover of catchphrases and larger-than-life personality, Gaga can appreciate the impact of highly repeatable dialog. She likely delights in the fact that Airplane! gave the world such a trove of iconic lines that are still being quoted today across generations. The film’s writing and performances created comedy gold in the form of instantly memorable quotes.
The Film Offers Escapist, Irreverent Humor
While Airplane! is clearly a parody, it’s not so high-concept that it can’t also be enjoyed as escapist entertainment. At its core, the movie offers audiences a chance to laugh at outrageous situations and irreverent humor. The appeal is visceral and cathartic, not overly cerebral.
This type of escapist comedy likely resonates with Lady Gaga when she’s looking to relax and decompress. While her own art skews experimental and boundary-pushing, she seems to appreciate that Airplane! ultimately aims to deliver easy laughs. The humor isn’t pretentious or preachy. Instead, it taps into the universal funny bone in a brisk, uplifting way.
The Slapstick Humor Holds Up Decades Later
While much comedy feels dated after a few years, let alone a few decades, the visual gags in Airplane! have truly stood the test of time. Slapstick comedy relies less on topical jokes and references than verbal humor, which may explain its longevity. But the performances in Airplane! also deserve credit for selling the physical comedy so well.
Gaga likely appreciates that the slapstick in Airplane! feels timeless rather than dated. The physical comedy was executed masterfully, from the epic knock-down brawl between passengers to Ted Striker’s struggle to drive the emergency vehicle straight. Moments like Rumack attempting to inflate the unconscious Otto the Autopilot seem as hilarious today as they must have been in 1980. Airplane!’s polished slapstick renders the film a comedy classic that remains relevant after 40+ years.
The Film’s Influence Can Be Felt In Today’s Comedy
From parody films like Scary Movie to the work of irreverent comedians like Eric Andre, Airplane!’s comedic influence is still felt today. Its send-up style paved the way for everything from Naked Gun to Hot Shots. The Zucker/Abrahams/Zucker school of rapid-fire gags and absurdist plot lines established the template for comedies ranging from Top Secret to the Scary Movie franchise.
As a student of comedy and pop culture, Lady Gaga can undoubtedly see the through-line from Airplane!’s avant-garde sensibility to today’s most boundary-pushing humor. She likely also appreciates that Airplane! tapped into a public appetite for edgy comedy that was ahead of its time. Much like Gaga’s own music, the film’s rule-breaking style opened the door for many edgier artists who would follow.
The Film Boasts Endlessly Rewatchable Comedy
Some comedies fade quickly, feeling stale after just a couple of views. But Airplane! is regarded by fans like Lady Gaga as endlessly rewatchable. The joke-a-second pacing ensures that repeat viewing always yields new discoveries. Details missed the first few times around become funny Easter eggs to look forward to on subsequent watches.
For Lady Gaga, the ability to rewatch Airplane! and pick up fresh gags likely adds to its status as a comedy favorite. The film’s pacing gives it an almost puzzle-like quality, rewarding fans who want to study its joke construction. The strength of the core cast performances also lend themselves well to repeat viewing. With so many quotable lines, hilarious visual gags, and parody elements to appreciate, Airplane! offers outstanding rewatch value.
The Film Brings Together An All-Star Cast
In comedy, casting and performances are everything. Airplane! brought together a cast perfectly suited for this parody film. From dramatic actors like Peter Graves and Leslie Nielsen playing against type, to proven comedians like Lloyd Bridges and Stephen Stucker, the ensemble created comedy magic.
Lady Gaga likely appreciates how great casting elevated Airplane!. Just like she carefully curates her own touring and recording bands, Zucker and Abrahams knew the right performers to assemble for this absurdist movie concept to work. Even actors not known for comedy, like Robert Stack and Barbara Billingsley, adds to the hilarity by playing it completely straight. The strength of the casting is a huge factor in Airplane!’s enduring legacy.
So for Lady Gaga, the 1980 disaster movie spoof Airplane! represents the pinnacle of escapist, absurdist comedy. The ridiculously exaggerated plot, deadpan performances, rapid-fire jokes, endlessly quotable lines, timeless slapstick, boundary-pushing style, and flawless cast come together to create enduring comedy magic. Airplane! remains as hilarious and rewatchable today as ever, which is why Lady Gaga has rightly dubbed it the “funniest movie of all time.”
