Surely You Can’t Be Serious? An entire book about the (arguably) funniest movie ever, Airplane? By its creators? Sign me up (and feel free to call me Shirley)!
There hasn’t been a book about the making of Airplane before and now there is. Yay! Admittedly, it is better to watch the movie at least once before reading it. But that is easy because it bounces around regularly among streaming services-not bad for a forty-year-old movie. However, the main fans of this book will be those who saw Airplane when it first came out (hello, Boomer). It was something completely new, and just silly, at a time when everything else was so serious. It continued the Mel Brooks movie parody tradition in a completely stupid way. I don’t think I’m explaining this well. Just watch the movie and whatever you remember in between fits of giggling will impress you too.
For existing fans, this book is a backstage look at how the Zuckers took serious actors down a completely different comedy road—preferably with a straight face. And how they fought the moviemaking establishment to bring their boyish idea of comedy to the screen.
Whether you are a new or existing fan, Surely You Can’t Be Serious is a perfect after party (where everyone rehashes everything that happened at last night’s party even though the night is only hazily remembered). It’s a twister! It’s a twister! 5 stars and a favorite!
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.