A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy (1982)

 

A wacky inventor and his wife invite two other couples for a weekend party at a romantic summer house in the 1900s countryside.

From memory: Light-hearted and inconsequential, Woody Allen plays around with Bergman's Sommarnattens leende, all very well made, good dialogue and a capable cast, it's enjoyable but without much substance.

Halliwell*: "Subdued, melancholy and rather uninventive Woody Allen variation on Smiles of a Summer Night." 

Maltin***: "SMILES OF A SUMMER'S NIGHT, Woody Allen-style; a quirky, entertaining diversion...Appealing cast...,exquisite Gordon Willis photography."

Airplane II: The Sequel (1982)

 

A faulty computer causes a passenger space shuttle to head straight for the Sun. Can Ted Striker save the day and get the shuttle back on track - again? 

Lacklustre attempt to rehash the success of the original comedy,  full of warmed-up jokes and hit-and-miss humor.

Halliwell (no star): "Palsied sequel to a funny film, with some of the same cast and some of the same jokes." 

Maltin**1/2: "Mildly funny rehash of AIRPLANE..., but can't match the quantity, or quality, of laughs in the original."

 

 

Marriage Story (2019)

A marriage breaking up and a family staying together.

Excellent and realistic separation drama analyzes the back and forth of a divorce and emphasizes how the legal procedure actually boosts and preys on the split; superb cast throughout, but Laura Dern is absolutely amazing.

Airplane! (1980)

A man afraid to fly must ensure that a plane lands safely after the pilots become sick.

Deliberately silly spoof of Airport-like catastrophe movies entertains due to a relentless onslaught of hit-and-miss jokes.

Halliwell**: "Arthur Hailey's play Flight Into Danger and the film Zero Hour which was made from it get the zany parody treatment in this popular movie which is often funny but sometimes merely crude. It rang the box-office bell more loudly than most expensive epic of its year."

Maltin***1/2: "Very funny spoof of AIRPORT-type movies...with a nonstop string of gags that holds up almost to the end (why carp?)."