Dissecting the Casual Racism of “Airplane!”
Airplane! (1980) is a fun spoof comedy with lots of laughs, right? I watched this film for the first time the other night. I loved it. Then came the racist jokes.

As Mexico prepares to host the 1968 Olympics, students and civilians are uniting on the streets to protest the authoritarian government. Tensions are running high and the eyes of the world are on Mexico and President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz. Ana Maria, a student photographer and daughter of a high-ranking official, finds herself embroiled in the movement and is swept off her feet by Félix, a working-class architecture student. This film remembers the events that led to one of the darkest chapters in Mexico’s recent history: the massacre at Tlatelolco, 10 days before the opening of the Olympic Games.
Airplane! (1980) is a fun spoof comedy with lots of laughs, right? I watched this film for the first time the other night. I loved it. Then came the racist jokes.
Halle's belting, crystal clear notes, and warm tone infused something into this blockbuster that I thoroughly enjoy.
A bond between a girl and her dog takes an unexpected twist as the dog is not what it seems.
Honey Don't! is a chaotic queer noir that's part detective story, part midnight movie madness. Margaret Qualley is fantastic as the wise-cracking private eye Honey, with Aubrey Plaza and Chris Evans adding their own dry humor to the mix. The mystery itself is pretty loose, but the film makes up for it with crackling sexual tension, weird side characters, and razor-sharp dialogue. It's messy and uneven, but in the best possible way.
This short film was an overall creative success.
It’s 2021 and what few LGBTQ+ films that are produced by major film studios continue to star cisgender heterosexual actors, rather than actual LGBTQ+ people.