Post by StevePulaski on Apr 30, 2020 10:35:48 GMT -5
Soul Plane (2004)
Directed by: Jessy Terrero
Directed by: Jessy Terrero
Snoop Dogg is Captain Antoine Mack in Soul Plane.
Rating: ★★½
The unique and fluid situation that is the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has gotten me in a mood as of late when it comes to my movie selection. I find myself craving silly, superfluous comedies of the 2000s I was either too young to watch when they were released or just kept them in the "that looks interesting, I might watch it at some point" part of my brain. It doesn't help that many are available free on YouTube.
This brings me to Soul Plane, a marginally remembered comedy from the mid aughts. A quick Roku search informs me not only is Soul Plane available on Netflix, but also Tubi, Plex, Vudu, Pluto, and even Roku's very own streaming channel, all free of charge. Outside of public domain offerings, Soul Plane could indeed be one of the most accessible films at this moment in time.
You might indeed recall Soul Plane's meager box office earnings partly being attributable to widely available bootlegs months before its theatrical release in May 2004. They were so prevalent that during an advanced screening, MGM opted to include a question on their post-show questionnaire asking moviegoers if they had seen the film before. Nearly a quarter of its target audience confirmed that they had. Before the film made it into theaters. Keep in mind, torrents and offshore piracy sites weren't as accessible given the day and age of then-Broadband internet connections in most homes, so this was still in the era of DVD-Rs sold at flea markets. What a confounding legacy for a film that is largely another run-of-the-mill, stoner-esque comedy boasting a lot of big names and modest laughs.
Soul Plane is somewhat amusing, I'll give it that; far more palatable than similar fare such as The Wash. It features an early performance from Kevin Hart, who plays Nashawn Wade, a young entrepreneur who is awarded $100 million following the death of his dog amid a flight. He uses the money to start a commercial airline catered to African-Americans with a plush pink airliner, marijuana-friendly policies, and Lil Scrappy among one of the artists blaring over the in-flight speakers.
The plotless picture follows numerous people aboard the N.W.A. (Nashawn Wade Airlines, wink wink) flight from LAX. to JFK. The plane is flown by Captain Antoine Mack (Snoop Dogg), a man whose qualifications include mastering flight simulator and being petrified of heights, along with Gaemon (Godfrey) in a role that, dare I say, was the sole source of consistent comedy throughout. Along for the ride is the stereotypically square white family, led by Tom Arnold and Missi Pyle, a crass blind man played by Friday's John Witherspoon, Nashawn's cousin, played by Method Man, and a flamboyant flight attendant alongside Sofia Vergara in a role she likely regrets at least a little bit. Other inclusions are Mo'Nique and Loni Love as a pair of abrasive, Ebonics-speaking TSA agents that, guiltily, made me chuckle.
Soul Plane is sometimes mistakenly billed as a parody film, but in reality, it's simply predicated on a handful of broadly drawn racial stereotypes and kept afloat by the presence of recognizable faces. Former Jazz power forward Karl Malone turns up for a humorous cameo, as do Lil Jon and Terry Crews. The film is an assembly line of gags with Chuck Wilson and Bo Zenga's flimsy screenplay trying to adequately showcase all of the talent with mixed results. Point being: you could do far worse, as Soul Plane is kept at a brief 82 minutes and features more entertainment than you're likely to find in most in-flight films.
Starring: Kevin Hart, Method Man, Snoop Dogg, Tom Arnold, Missi Pyle, Godrey, Sofia Vergara, Mo'Nique, Loni Love, Arielle Kebbel, Ryan Pinkston, John Witherspoon, Terry Crews, Lil Jon, and Karl Malone. Directed by: Jessy Terrero.