If you are looking for a passionate comedy about how a talented but disturbed man wins back the love of his life, look no further than Airplane! (1980). Telling the story of a traumatized veteran who constantly struggles with war flashbacks, the movie consists mostly of a flight journey gone wrong. It showcases how all the technology and modern equipment fail to deal with a crisis and only human intervention and teamwork save the day. But the inspirational heroism of the protagonist aside, it tries to highlight some of the bigger problems of the veterans and how lack of psychological counseling sends them off to a lifetime of mental health problems.
Here’s how you can watch and stream Airplane! (1980) via streaming services such as AMC Plus.
Is Airplane! (1980) available to watch via streaming?
Yes, Airplane! (1980) is available to watch via streaming on AMC Plus.
Although belonging to the comedy genre, Airplane! (1980) deals with particularly complex and deep themes about the human psyche. Ted Striker is a traumatized war veteran who used to fly fighter planes and now lives as a troubled taxi driver. Throughout the movie, he is shown to struggle with PTSD from his war days, as most veterans do. Indications of him trying to drink away his problems and ending up with alcoholism are also made as he avoids drinking at all costs and in lieu splashes beverages everywhere apart from his mouth as a defense mechanism.
Ted’s deteriorating mental health takes a toll on his romantic relationship as his partner Elaine Dickinson, a flight attendant, tries to break up with him. To salvage their relationship he gets on the same flight as her, and it becomes one of the most eventful flight rides for all the people boarding it. Firstly, multiple people on the flight get food poisoning due to a spoiled in-flight meal being served. The dummy autopilot also doesn’t help and once everyone’s life is in danger Ted is convinced by his partner and others to take charge.
Robert Hays portrays Ted Striker while Julie Hagerty reprises the role of his girlfriend Elaine Dickinson. Other cast members include Leslie Nielsen, Peter Graves, Lloyd Bridges, Robert Stack, Lorna Patterson, Stephen Stucker, Frank Ashmore, Jonathan Banks, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Craig Berenson.
Watch Airplane! (1980) streaming via AMC Plus
Airplane! (1980) is available to watch on AMC Plus. It includes exclusive content from AMC, BBC America, IFC, and even Sundance TV. Sign up today to get great deals and early access to premium content.
You can watch via AMC Plus by following these steps:
- Go to AMCPlus.com
- Create a username and password
- Choose your plan:
- $8.99 per month
- $83.88 per year
Users can also subscribe to AMC Plus as a channel via Amazon Prime Video if they are current subscribers to Amazon’s service.
The Airplane! (1980) synopsis is as follows:
“An ex-fighter pilot is forced to take over the controls of an airliner when the flight crew succumbs to food poisoning.”
NOTE: The streaming services listed above are subject to change. The information provided was correct at the time of writing.