#98 Soul Plane (Wes)

  #98 Soul Plane

If you’ve not heard of Soul Plane you’re lucky. To say this film is bad is a bit of an understatement. I’m sure this extremely crude comedy appeals to a certain audience, but some people also enjoy having electrodes strapped to their testicles. I’d prefer not to have to experience that either. Unfortunately I said I’d watch these movies, so I had to endure Soul Plane (which was so painful I feel like I may have been better off with the testicular electrocution).

The story starts off with Nashawn Wade (Kevin Hart) getting his arse stuck in an airplane toilet (actually a massive fear of mine) and his dog getting sucked into a jet engine. He sues the airline and wins $100,000,000, which he uses to start up his own airline (NWA). It’s maiden flight is beset with problems, including pilot Captain Mack (Snoop Dogg) never actually having flown before, Wade’s cousin Muggsey (Method Man) setting up a casino and strip club in the plane and then Wade having to land the plane after Captain Mack seemingly dies after taking some mushrooms. And of course what maiden flight on America’s first black airline would be complete without the out of place middle class white man Elvis Hunkee (Tom Arnold) and his family, a gay air steward and some sassy security guards?

The biggest problem with this movie is that it’s so full of poorly done racial stereotypes that you half expect Jar Jar Binks and Watto (From the Star Wars prequels) to make a guest appearance. If these were done well then it could have been an ok movie, but when you have to resort to jokes that include the airline meal being buckets of fried chicken then you know you’ve scraped through the bottom of the barrel. The fact that the other jokes are all either sex or toilet based really doesn’t help much either.

To be fair to the film, there were a few bits I laughed at. African co-pilot Gaeman (Godfrey) telling Mack that his name doesn’t mean he’s gay “Everyone will be pregnant by the end of this flight!”, the plane being customised with hydraulics and the in-flight safety video (based on Destiny Child’s Survivor which can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_voArXcJG8) are all funny. Snoop Dogg is his usual charming self too (although he’s not nearly as good as he was in Starsky and Hutch). Unfortunately the good jokes are few and far between and they just aren't good enough to save this movie.

Surprisingly Tom Arnold wasn’t actually too bad in this film. His acting is ok, and he comes across quite sweet as a Father who feels he’s losing his family. Unfortunately most of the other actors are just irritating as they, try to outdo each other to be the funniest, loudest person onscreen.

However no matter how bad the acting is at times, there’s no getting around the fact that ultimately this film fails due to a very poor script. Many people have done the same type of stereotypical humour, but with a much funnier outcome (try Don’t Be a Menace to Society While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood - if you want to see it done well), this just comes across as pointless and lazy. I’m pretty sure this is another one of those movies that would be further up the list if only people had heard about it.