Rough Air

Story Line: Disgraced airline pilot Mike (Roberts), assigned first officer duty on a short-staffed transatlantic flight, assumes command when the captain is unexpectedly injured. Mechanical failures, a powerful thunderstorm and a desperate passenger make things difficult for Mike and flight attendant Katy (Paul).

Bottom Line: Rough Air is exactly like the corny old air-disaster movies spoofed in 1980's Airplane!. Writer Jim Makichuk and director Cassar employ all the genre's hoariest cliches, character stereotypes and contrived situations, so it's hard to keep a straight face when, for example, the Ill-Mannered Corporate Executive asks the Perky Blonde Flight Attendant, "Do you know who I am, young lady?" To his credit, Roberts handles another thankless role with sincerity and restraint, resisting what must have been a nearly irresistible urge to chew up the scenery. Paul's contribution is negligible. Perhaps this movie was made only because the producers had cheap and easy access to the plane mock-up. This one's not likely to be a rental barnburner. --Ed Hulse