When I first saw the previews for Jodie Foster’s Flightplan, I had absolutely no intention of going to see it on the basis of the plot. I admit however, to be a huge fan of Jodie Foster’s since the Silence of the Lambs days (have the lambs stopped screaming Clarice), and I will make exceptions in my movie viewing for her commanding presence.

One role she has perfected over the past couple of years, perhaps because she now has two children of her own, is the portrayal of that very primal emotional bond between mother and child. She has stated that after 35, women tend to play a lot of moms, and it appears to be a type casting that she’s more than comfortable with.

The movie started off great. I was interested, tense with anticipation, and staring steadily at the screen so that I didn’t miss a single hint. Then somewhere out over the Atlantic, I sat back and tried to figure out what made the movie so suspenseful. Sadly it had very little to do with the plot, which I was already growing bored with, and everything to do with the standard thriller score, dramatic camera angles, and the powerful, emotional performance of Jodie Foster. She truly is a tour de force actor who can command attention and respect even in a mediocre film. I found that it was her I was watching, rather than the movie, save for a nice little spot for Sean Bean as the plane’s protocol-locked captain.

The screenplay for Flightplan was penned prior to 9/11, but then remodelled to take into account the new world that confronted us all after that horrific tragedy. I don’t know what changes were made to the script post-9/11, but I have to be honest and say that it played out more like a film hoping to capitalize on terror-mongering than I had expected. There’s the middle-aged white guy who incites a near riot with his suspicion of several Arabic passengers, the indignant outrage of said passengers, the hijacking talk…but to be honest it was wholly unconvincing. It was a thriller, and we all know that thrillers never follow the most obvious course. The show-casing of Jodie Foster’s character as an assertive, intelligent woman made it difficult, despite knowledge of her recent loss, to ever fully buy into the ’she’s crazy’ side of the argument. There were too many glaring hints lit up like billboards in Vegas, and too few well-orchestrated mis-leading segments to think that anything other than what eventually happened, was going to happen.

The ending was terribly cheesy, with super-mom walking out to meet the hordes of ambulances and shocked, apologetic flight crew amidst the chopper search-lights and epic music. I was nearly ill in the aisle when the Middle Eastern gentleman, who had been the target of suspicion, taunting, threats and a butt-kicking at the hands of Foster’s character, helpfully handed her a purse from the ground when she left the airport, with an “I understand why I was the focus of such bigotry and it’s okay” sort of nod. Today’s shocking public service announcement from Buena Vista: “Arabs are nice people. Not all of them are terrorists”.

Factual questions that struck me were: is it possible to land a mammoth plane like the Airbus 380 in Goose Bay, Nfld? It’s a small town, and although there is a military base there that conducts low-level flying runs, I’m not sure that an airborne behemoth the size of the 380 would have enough runway room. Also, if they landed in Canada, why in the world were the FBI the first responders? Canada has it’s very own federal law enforcement you know…they’re called the RCMP, and they don’t just ride horses and wear funny outfits.

Brief: Okay movie. Enjoy Foster but don’t expect to be engaged by the plot. Typical thriller formula with nauseating ending. Seriously though, if I can look half as good as Foster does at 43 years of age and be a third as good at what I do, then I’ll have been a blessed woman. Like a good red wine, she only gets better with age.

7 Responses to “Flightplan Stalls”

  1. Ingrid Says:

    I’m definitely still curious to see the movie, if only because I’ve pretty much seen every single Jodie Foster movie since Candleshoe (her first), and I’m nothing if not loyal to my favorite actors.

    I saw the trailer for Flightplan a while back and it looked interesting, though I had a feeling it would probably end up being a disappointment. Guess we’ll see what I think (once it makes it to France).

  2. Erin Harvey Says:

    You should see it since you like Jodie Foster, she does excellently. And it’s an entertaining film until you sit down and wonder what all the fuss was about.

    Disappointing yes, but not a disaster.

  3. Nick Says:

    I agree with your review. I saw the movie last week and enjoyed it, but didn’t think it was anything special. Foster plays a great part, which I can’t say for a lot of the other performances in the film. A lot of the other actors/actresses just seemed “off” if that makes sense. Flightplan is worth a watch, but don’t expect a whole lot.

  4. Erin Harvey Says:

    I think I know what you mean by off Nick, and I agree. I spent an inordinate amount of time staring at the flight marshall trying to figure out if whe was stoned, or just completely disinterested in the movie. It was just a decent film, nothing more.

  5. Matt Eddy Says:

    Actually, Goose Bay has ample room to land the new Airbus 380..they have a runway 11 046 feet long and over 200 feet wide…the A380 does not require a longer runway then most jetliners, just a wider one, which Goose Bay has. Goose Bay is an emergency landing location for the Space Shuttle of all things!

  6. Jeremy Wright Says:

    Yep, there isn’t a plane ever made that can’t land at goose bay.

  7. Charles Martin Says:

    Yes…Goose Bay actually has one of the larger airfields in the world and is a regular deployment airfield for the US Airforce, including their C5 Glaxies (the 2nd largest aircraft in the world)….is a potential landing space for the Space Shuttle…..

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