Hello, Hivers!
I'm really glad to finally have the time to participate in a contest this month (even if it's ending already). This week the topic is «Movies with Planes», and I admit that I really had to scratch my head to think of one.
You see, normally when you say "That movie... With planes", I'll think first of «Top Gun», that classic from 1986 that had its revival with a sequel last year. But I believe this is a common thought and that I wouldn't be the only one writting about it if I had choosen it. «Snakes on the Plane» also came to my mind, but I don't like that movie enough to write about it.
So I kept thinking real hard, and then it came to me.
As you may have read in the title, today I am going to talk about 2003's romantic comedy «View from the Top». This is not a movie about planes perse, but it has to do with planes so it must count.
Taken from IMDb
If you haven't seen it or don't know what movie this is, let me summarize for you: Donna Jensen is a young woman from a small town with a dream (they always have one, right?). She wants to be a Flight Attendant, but not a regular one, she wants to work in one of the best airlines in the country, serving the Top Route: Paris.
So she trains, real hard and gives her all to make that dream come true, but she fails. Even when she was the best in her class, even when she did her best. She fails while one of her friends who struggled all the way with the training succeeds. She's confused, heartbroken and feeling very horrible overall, and tries to get an explanation, even asks to see her test to know which questions were wrong. But they don't let her due to organizational rules... So she has to settle for a commuter role in Cleveland.
And she does, and it's not that bad. She finds herself a nice boyfriend, Ted played by Mark Ruffalo, gets to spend enought time with him and flying, and it's happy. Almost happy. The feeling that she should've succeded doesn't leave her, and thinks that she must know why she failed, or otherwhise she wouldn't be really happy with her life... So she finds a way, she gets to see her test and after reading it realizes that this test it's not hers. Someone stole her test and put her name in a wrong one! But not someone-anywho... Her friend!
Now Donna feels betrayed and angry. She wants a solution, and gets one. She is able to retake her test and as first expected she succeeds. "Paris, First Class, International". All she ever wanted is finally coming to her. But now she has to face another problem; how is she supposed to give her all in her job and a have a healthy romantic life at the same time? How can she commit to the man she loves when she's basically never in the country?
I kinda feel bad that this movie didn't came to mind at first, because it's honestly one that I really love and enjoy, even more now that I'm in adulthood. It's overall cornily funny, something to watch on a light heart... But you can take a nice point out of it if you analize it real hard, and that's what I'll do.
Taken from IMDb
The movie may seem very cliché at first, and it is! the girl with family problems with a dream, yaddayadda, we've seen that. But while watching it you may get surprised with its slice-of-life tone. Gwyneth Paltrow really does a great job portraying Donna, and it's incredibly funny all the way. Even tho she doesn't like it, and once called it "The worst movie" I really liked her acting, and after watching it again a few times as an adult I enjoyed it even more and felt related to her character feelings.
No, not the part of doing something bigger than you, or the part of chasing your dreams... Or being betrayed by a friend. No, no, i won't talk about that, I am referring to love and work.
Sometimes in life it's hard to balance your job with your personal life. As my mum would often call it, what your heart wants and what your brain wants. It's difficult to find someone understanding, who will stay by your side and support you with your ambitions. This is a problem that Donna has in the movies, and that many people also have in the real life. We live in a time, when bosses demand our full time to to do our jobs and hopefully scalate in the job ladder, and if we do so, giving our all to find success... what's left for us as a person? what's left for the people who surround us?
Or, if we're decided to give more to our family, friends, loved ones... How can we keep up with our workmates that are not giving time for themselves? Most of the time it feels like you have to quit one to have the other, settle for something less if you want both.
Personally this hits home to me, as a person with big ambitions, that doesn't halfasses anything and that overall thinks that doesn't have time for love yet since I haven't accomplished "bigger things". But the thing is, love finds you either way you're ready or not and once too, I had to question myself about my job and my boyfriend, since he wasn't okay with me working that much and not spending time with him.
So it's not a thing about deciding what's better, what your heart wants or your brain wants. It's about thinking things straight and know what makes you happy.
Sadly I did not kept both like in the movie. But it's fine, I am at peace with that.
In the film, Donna realizes she is not happy being "International" without her boyfriend. But knows that she won't be happy with him without being in the air. As the film ends, we see her wishing her passengers well as they land in Cleveland, though she is now a pilot. She could get the best of both worlds and now it's real happy.
Taken from IMDb
So, overall the movie goes steady, the talent of its cast may feel wasted sometimes, but it's a roncom from the early 2000, so it can't really be helped. Maybe I'm paiting the movie better than it really is, or maybe not. It depends on your taste, I like really sappy, ridicoulus movies so of course I enjoy this one.
If you want to watch it, you can find it on Hulu, AppleTv and PrimeVideo.
Thank you so much for reading this post. If you want to read other entries to the contest you can go here (@cinetv/cinetv-contest-45-favorite-movie-with-planes) and look in the comments. I know there already some nice reviews out there.
Read you next time!
(DISCLAIMER: Banner made by me on Sai2, photos taken from IMDb official page)