Cast: Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Mark Ruffalo, Kelly Preston, Mike Myers, Candice Bergen
Director: Bruno Barreto
Producers: Matthew Baer, Bobby Cohen, Brad Grey
Screenplay: Eric Wald
Cinematography: Affonso Beato
Music: Theodore Shapiro
U.S. Distributor: Miramax Films
View from the Top has been gathering dust on Miramax's shelves for two years (filming wrapped in March 2001), and, viewing the final product, it's not hard to understand why. In fact, absent the presence of Gwyneth Paltrow (who reportedly was paid $10 million to star) and Mike Myers, this probably would have been headed straight to video. As it is, it will be there before long. View from the Top has put Miramax's marketing department in a quandary – it's a supposed romantic comedy about flight attendants that is lighter on both the "romance" and the "comedy" than on the "flight attendants." And, while it's not as bad as some of the movies in theaters this month, it's about as instantly forgettable a production as there is.
Paltrow plays Donna, a young woman stuck in a no-name town (actually, Silver Springs, Nevada) who dreams of one day finding her way in the world. Her opportunity comes when she joins Fresno-based Sierra Airlines as a flight attendant. The cut-rate airline has a motto for its stewardesses: "Big hair, short skirts, and service with a smile." After a while, Donna decides to try her luck at a larger airline, and sets her sights on Royal, the cream of the crop. After being accepted to their training course and enduring several weeks under the tutelage of instructor John Whitney (Mike Myers), she is given the commuter route based out of Cleveland. While there, she falls for a law student (Mark Ruffalo), but decides to give up romance when she is presented with the opportunity to move to New York and serve on the prestigious transatlantic route. Now, she can go to Paris, Lisbon, and London – but when she returns home to the United States, it's to an empty apartment.
For the most part, View from the Top is mixed-up and off-key. The tone, which veers from slapstick comedy to mawkish melodrama, is as volatile as nitroglycerine. The film wants us to care about the romance between Donna and her beau, but no chemistry is evident between Paltrow and Ruffalo. They say their lines and act their parts without conviction. Attempts at dramatic arcs – such as Donna's learning the message that having a successful career does not equate to happiness – are almost insultingly shallow. And the comedy is flaccid. The talented Mike Myers can't generate more than half-hearted chuckle. His physical tics, which work well in a satire spoof like Austin Powers, fail in a less openly jokey setting. Even a catfight between Paltrow and Christina Applegate (who plays her bitchy rival, Christine) is more obligatory than energetic.
Director Bruno Barreto is an accomplished director whose impressive resume includes titles like Carried Away and Four Days in September. Those films, however, were hard-hitting dramas, while this is lightweight and lighthearted. For whatever reason, Barreto never gets a good feel for the material. One example: I was never sure when the movie was supposed to be taking place. Some cues – like the costumes worn by stewardesses – argue for the '70s. Others, like the soundtrack and the inclusion of a Rubik's cube, signal the '80s. But the reference to Dr. Phil on Oprah places things recently. Perhaps Barreto's intention is to play with the time frame, but, if that's what he is doing, he telegraphs it badly, making it an inside joke for one. At its best, View from the Top is a mediocre diversion – a movie better watched at home where the remote control can be used (if necessary) to fast forward to the film's best part: the obligatory end credit outtakes.
© 2003 James Berardinelli