Cast:
Gwyneth Paltrow Donna Jensen
Christina Applegate Christine
Candice Bergen Sally
Mark Ruffalo Ted
Mike Myers
Kelly Preston
Written by Eric Wald & Roger Kumble (Cruel Intentions; cowriter of National Lampoon's Senior Trip)
Directed by Bruno Barreto
View from the Top is Film 101 for how to do the "Small-Town Person Who Dreams of Big Success But Realizes True Love is Preferable" story in the plainest, most generic, and least interesting way possible. If you’ve seen Doc Hollywood, which does this type of story with charm, humor, and lovable characters, you needn’t see this one.
Gwyneth Paltrow plays Nevada woman who lives in a trailer and works at the local department store in a job she got because her high school sweetheart is the store manager. She dreams of bigger things, and decides that becoming a stewardess is the gateway to world travel and prestige. To make this trip seem worthwhile, the plot presents an obstacle or two that she must overcome to get there, but the plot, which moves along briskly, and culminates in what appears to be its emotional/character climax only one hour into the film, is so devoid of any true character conflict or development, and so lacking in any explanation for some of the characters’ actions, that the entire thing just seems so pre-ordained. Things happen because the plot requires them, not because they follow any interesting character trait.
Why, for example, does Kelly Preston (looking more pulchritudinous than ever), appear, and then, in violation of Roger Ebert’s Law of Economy of Characters, suddenly disappear? Why is nothing made of her character or her not moving on to the next level? (Because the plot needed Gwyneth to not be alone when she started out on her first flight, but once she and Christina moved onto the next level, they no longer needed Preston.)
Why, for example, does Candice Bergen, the veteran flight attendant who married rich and who’s promoted her recipe for flight attendant success on Oprah, suddenly grab a group of flight attendant trainees at random for no reason and invite them to dinner at her home? (Because the plot requires her to become Donna’s mentor.)
Why does Rob Lowe appear for two short scenes and then disappear? (Don’t ask me to explain this one in italics, because I have no idea. Maybe his other scenes were cut. Given the hour and twenty minute running time—which is padded by unfunny outakes—that Stacey Dash is also almost entirely absent from the movie, and that Christian Slater’s cameo, which was in the cut I saw in June 2001, was also absent, they may have left quite a lot on the cutting room floor.)
As Gwyneth aims for the big international First Class job, the movie doesn’t bother to even try making the Big Stumbling Block to that dream remotely mysterious. If what happened to her wasn’t totally obvious to you, well, then maybe this is your type of movie, but this review isn’t.
There is absolutely no sense of tension, nor any sympathy for the characters, who are utter cardboard. Nothing they do feels important, has any consequence, reveals character or incites any kind of development. I have a feeling, though, that this will be another one of those "I Hated it But I’m in the Minority" reviews. More than one respondent of mine that I sent passes to for this movie loved it, and said that Mike Myers was "hilarious" in it. Personally, I didn’t find one single thing of his funny. I thought his character was a self-important nerd, and rather than acknowledge that nerds’ jokes aren’t funny, and that humor should come at the expense of the nerd, the movie instead makes believe his gags are actually funny. Given how most people in the audience laughed throughout it, I imagine this movie will do well. Personally, I was far more impressed with Christina Applegate, who looks quite delicious in this film, and fills out a blue bikini quite nicely.