View from the Top (2003)

Director:

Bruno Barreto

Writer (WGA):

Eric Wald (written by)

Release Date:

21 March 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Don't stop till you reach the top.

Plot:

A small-town woman tries to achieve her goal of becoming a flight attendant.

Plot Keywords:

Flight | Flight Attendant | Airline | First Class | Class

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Christina Applegate	...	Christine Montgomery
Candice Bergen	...	Sally Weston
Marc Blucas	...	Tommy Boulay
Frederick Coffin	...	Mr. Stewart
Chelsey Cole	...	Donna - 6 Yrs. Old
Nadia Dajani	...	Paige
John Francis Daley	...	Rodney
Stacey Dash	...	Angela Samona
Troy Evans	...	Customer
David Hayward	...	Pete
Jorge R. Hernandez	...	Spanish Man
Duane King	...	Royalty Operations Clerk
Rob Lowe	...	Co-Pilot Steve Bench
Joshua Malina	...	Randy Jones (as Josh Malina)
Christina Malpero	...	Rita Sanchez

Also Known As:

A View from the Top (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for language/sexual references.

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Brazil:Livre | Denmark:A | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | New Zealand:PG | Norway:11 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Bullhead City, Arizona, USA

Company:

Miramax Films

Trivia:

Cameo: [George Kennedy]The veteran of the Airport movies (Airport (1970), etc) is man in first-class who declines Donna's offer of champagne and caviar.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Donna reads a flight attendant job op brochure whose cover spells "Marriott" Hotel with just one "t."

Quotes:

Sally Weston: Donna, did I ever tell you about a nasty habit that flight attendants pick up on the job?
Donna Jensen: No.
Sally Weston: We learn to always keep smiling, even when we're out of Bloody Mary mix.

Movie Connections:

References "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (1987/I)

Soundtrack:

I'm Not Anybody's Girl

uneven though occasionally fun

Bruno Barreto's `View From the Top' boasts a cute premise that doesn't quite live up to its potential. The film starts out in a satirical vein, promising to deliver a nifty spoof of life in the friendly skies. Instead, it settles into a typical romantic comedy formula, not bad as these things go, but nothing to write home about either. So while `View from the Top' never soars very high, neither does it end up crashing and burning. In this day and age, one must be grateful for a safe landing, even if the ride is a bumpy one.

Gwyneth Paltrow delivers a winning performance as Donna, a small town girl who becomes a stewardess as a way of escaping her dysfunctional family and white trash upbringing. The first part of the film is fun, as Donna earns her wings flying for a cut-rate airline whose attendants dress and act more like prostitutes than stewardesses. With their form-fitting, cleavage-exposing blouses, purple hot pants and big hair, these pleasantly perky hostesses look like they're ready to serve their passengers more than just the customary coffee, tea or milk. So far, so good - but once the girls move onto a more `legitimate' airline, much of the satiric bite drains out of the film and we move onto the more familiar terrain of catty rivalries, long distance romance, and unrequited love.

In addition to Paltrow, the movie features Christina Applegate, Rob Lowe, Candice Bergen and Mark Ruffalo in various roles. Mike Myers is surprisingly annoying in the part of a cross-eyed stewardess trainer. The screenplay by Eric Wald has a maddening tendency to drop characters along the way, giving the film a slapdash, unformed and oddly amateurish quality. As partial compensation, the film boasts superb production and costume design and a generally ebullient spirit.

`View From the Top' doesn't end up flying us anywhere special and it's definitely coach all the way, but it does serve up a few laughs in mid flight.