On a Wing and a Prayer

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source: On a Wing and a Prayer

Oh, where do I start. Is it the tired old "God has forsaken me - oh wait now he's saving me so we're all good" trope? Or the bratty teen who learns to love and appreciate family through a shared harrowing experience? Or (worst for me), the motley collection of aviation misfits who circumvent officialdom to bring in what's needed to save the day? As a pilot I was particularly offended by the last one, and specifically the portrayal of air traffic controllers and pilots as being initially reluctant to even try to talk the guy down because no way a non-pilot could never fly a King Air. First off, ATC and especially those who are pilots are familiar with this scenario, but the movie makes it seem like this is the first time a non-pilot has ever had to be coached into a landing. Secondly, I've had lots of novices up in my high-performance plane and I can tell you that they just don't find it that hard to keep a plane straight and level and pointed more or less in the right direction when being coached. Not that it would be easy or guaranteed, but making it all like it's some kind of miracle and only ended well because of god and misfits - sorry, I couldn't stomach it and had to quit before it was even done.

The movie starts out a little slow. The acting isn't the greatest. But it's an amazing story. And they managed to make it very moving. Yes, there are some kids in the movie that actually have no point. I kept waiting to find out if for some reason they were going to be a help. In the end, it was fun to see them be part of the experience. I really feel like Dennis Quaid has had his time. I think someone else would have been better suited to this part but he has a recognized name. This story was worth telling and it is worth watching. I found it very moving, and it doesn't happen to me often.

First- come on. The acting was terrible. This is the almost equal of a bad hallmark movie. He looks great for his age but he is 16 years older than Heather and he is 68. Maybe it's the country music inserted for no reason or the cheesy lines or the loud clapping form an audience of 5 at the BBQ contest. Also the one guy gets to decide the contest? Come on. It's sometimes the small details- the bad accents- that a flight instructor would almost let them crash- the age difference- the ridiculous kids- it just doesn't work. If you are a country and god loving person who also likes bad movies- this is for you. At least it employed some people. So there is that.

The reviews about how awful this movie is are not wrong but they miss the point. When viewed as a comedy, it's quite good. We burst out in laughter multiple times. Granted, it was due to the absurdity of various twists (storm approaching...cut to shot of coastal hurricane...next, we're in clear skies on final), or the awfulness of the script, or the forced cliches. Dennis Quaid's scrunchy puffy face as he's wrestling the plane is hilarious. Also, it works as a Mystery. As in WHAT IN GAWD'S NAME ARE DENNIS QUAID AND HEATHER GRAHAM DOING IN THIS PICTURE? Did someone lose a bet? Contractual obligations? Sadly, the mystery is never resolved. Did it occur to anyone else that the callsign Niner Delta Whiskey could also be interpreted as Niner Dead Whites? 😁 or Niner Dreadful Waste of two hours?🤣 interesting story tho!

If you need an uplift in your life watch this movie. It's great! I don't understand negative reviews because in this world we live in we need more of this. Must watch. Yes it's religious but it is so good. Just a feel go movie. Great actors. It's a true story which makes it even better. I cannot say enough good about this movie. Just watch. Especially if you like plane movies. I highly recommend. It's fun exciting and dramatic. Great seeing Dennis Quaid again in a movie. He's always been a great actor. Watch the ending credits to see the real people. One of Amazons best movies. I must say I have watched it twice!,

I don't even know where to begin. I had high hopes for this movie since it had well known actors - Dennis Quaid and Heather Graham. I know that they aren't highly acclaimed actors, but still...I had no idea it would be this bad. So many bad cliches, so much bad acting. I can't even point to a single scene that was horrible because they pretty much all are. The two kids who were narrating the story (which I guess is the point of them even being in the film) are exceedingly annoying and unbelievable. I won't give any spoilers, but the "this is going to hurt you more than it hurts me" was absolutely ridiculous. Did a writer write this screenplay or was it a middle school film project? If I had to guess, I would say the latter. Don't waste your time on this one.