Soul Plane

Year: 2004
Genre: Comedy/Gross-Out Comedy
Directed: Jessy Terrero
Stars: Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, Method Man, K.D. Aubert, Tom Arnold, Mo'Nique
Production: MGM

Soul Plane (2004) was one of those films recommended to me by a friend, meant entirely as a gentle ribbing at my expense. The idea is I sit through it, write a scathing review and everyone gets a good hardy-har. Yet another hour and a half of my life gone in the vain hope of watching a arbitrary aggregation of films to consider myself a true filmophile. How much longer do I have to suffer before I’m the authority on movies within my own sphere of influence? First off there is no finite aggregation that will accomplish such nebulous goals. Secondly watching Soul Plane isn’t exactly suffering. Let me explain.

Sadly not in this movie

Kevin Hart plays the part of Nashawn an aspiring entrepreneur who after a terrible flying experience decides to start his own airline. On his plane’s maiden voyage however things don’t go according to plan thanks largely to a glut of eccentric passengers and the pot smoking Captain of ceremonies Mack (Snoop Dogg). Can the newly minted N.W.A. Airline make a safe trip from Los Angeles to New York and more importantly can this crude and blatant rip-off make it into the audience’s hearts and minds.

I don’t think I’m giving much away by saying yes, by-the-skin-on-their-teeth, just barely yes to both questions. Instead of outrageous parody anchored by puns, visual gags and innuendo Soul Plane proudly wears its colors as a raunchy, dirty and stereotype filled send up to the mile-high club. Even when the jokes were as stale as a rejected In Living Color (1990-1994) skit I couldn’t help but crack a smile or two. I hate to admit it but Soul Plane should be what Aaron Seltzer and Jason Friedberg should aim for (largely because they might actually achieve this D+ standard of excellence if only they actually tried).

Is this seriously your A Game?

What makes Soul Plane palpable to put it simply is its energy. Much like its largest influence Airplane! (1980) every joke pops out of the wormwood in fast progression so for every groaner there are just as many chuckle-worthy moments even if every chuckle is coaxed like sentimentality is forced out of an Adam Sandler movie. Additionally the movie has some actual thoughts when it comes to black culture, air travel, family and love; not always good or well-established thoughts but enough nuggets of cogency to warrant pause.

This ball has no home...Cry bitches CRY!

There is also something to be said about the established theme of entrepreneurship. Nashawn bravely and knowingly accepts the risk of owning and operating a business. A business which for four hours is responsible for the lives of a plane-full of people. In real life the decisions he makes would make him criminally negligent but in the world of Soul Plane he’s freakin’ Andrew Carnegie. It’s not quite clear why he wants to accept such responsibility (fame, money, attention) though in a near-gushy moment he admits his fears but affirms what his mother always told him, he needs to try.

My theory, he does it for the nookie.

I’ve become increasingly aware that in today’s franchise-laden movie-scape the themes of today have been boiled down to Good vs. Evil and Evil=destroy the planet. So despite its myriad of hack-job japes, lazy stereotyping and low-hanging-fruit crudity, Soul Plane manages to be, at least partially, about a man looking to be successful by starting a business, being true to his family and owning up to his mistakes. Not a bad message for a movie who un-apologetically crams a poop joke in the first five minutes.

Post-script warning: This movie co-stars Tom Arnold as the only semi-normal white perspective in the entire movie so if that isn’t you particular cup-o’-latte then don’t even bother.

Final Grade: D-