Why I hate soul plane

Hello people of the Internet! Let's talk about Soul Plane.

Created in 2004 the movies stars Chris Rock, Tom Arnold, Snoop Dog, and a whole other sleuth of black comedians as the crew and passengers embarking on the maiden flight of the hip-hop concentric airline, NWA. When I first saw the movie I thought it was funny, but looking back on it as an adult all I can do is this:

The reason for this shift in opinion is that I now know the difference between a comedy and a parody. Sure both genres are designed to make you laugh, but they do so in a different way. In comedy the humor comes from the character's suffering. I know that may sound sick, but if you think back on all the things that have really made you laugh you will realize that they contain some amount of pain. Comedies also tend to exist in a universe similar to our own, in that the reactions to the situations are congruent to what they'd be in real life. For instance if a character were to walk into a restaurant and be so mesmerized by how good their date looks that they trip and fall on their faces the people around them would be surprised, concerned, and maybe even find it funny. Because again comedy is about suffering.

Loudly

This is not the case for parodies. In that world even if that character were to take a swan dive into another guest's soup they would probably continue to eat as if nothing had happened. This is where the humor come from; an utter unacknowledgment of the craziness and bazaar.

The problem with Soul Plane is that it doesn't seem to know if it wants to be a comedy or a parody. It has the exaggerations found in parodies-just take a look at the plane-but the reactions are way off. For instance the main character, played by Kevin Heart, seems like an ambitious likable young man who wants to create a legitimate business that would better cater to the African American community. However when he gets on the plane he doesn't freak out over the fact that it is designed in a way that would make it unqualified to be even on a runway, but that the captain was in a middle eastern prison.

Also because this flick has no idea what mood it wants to set the jokes that would be acceptable in a parody, and edgy in a comedy, come off as so racist I'm surprised their wasn't a rally in response! Especially this scene, https://youtu.be/t0vICOySZfs. I am shocked by how this movie with so much comedic talent could go so wrong!

That's all I have to say so until next post I ask that you Live well, Laugh often, and Love much.






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