View From The Top film review

The film's romantic element comes courtesy of Donna's involvement with law student Ted (Mark Ruffalo), forcing her to choose between her ascending career and plummeting personal life. But even this thread fails to hold things together. An outtake sequence during the closing credits of Paltrow doing a choreographed routine to 'We Are Family' gave proof, were any more needed, that had View From The Top been someone visiting a shrink, they would be classified as having an identity crisis.View From The Top appears to be the result of one of those unfortunate cinematic confusions that arise when a number of key people harbour very different visions of the type of film they are making. It is as though it was conceived by a game of consequences, with the director putting his ideas on a piece of paper, folding it over and handing it on to the art director, who in turn added his piece before giving it to the actors for their contribution. This blind approach may occasionally produce a work of surprising genius, but in this instance it only succeeds in creating a muddle.

Although the various constituents fail to gel as a whole, taken on their individual merits there is still much to enjoy in this goofy romantic comedy, particularly the performance of Mike Myers playing an outlandish character who would have looked more at home in an Austin Powers movie.

Alongside her more artful roles, Gwyneth Paltrow is not adverse to absurdist fare, as evidenced by Shallow Hal and The Royal Tenenbaums. Here she plays Donna Jensen, a small town girl with big dreams. One striking feature of View From The Top is its garish pop art look. The costumes and design have a swinging sixties tone that facilitate Donna's penchant for mini skirts. It is a fashion encouraged by her employer, the decidedly low rent Sierra Airlines, where she works as a flight attendant. Their motto being 'Big hair, short skirts and service with a smile.'

With her sights set beyond daily flights to Fresno, Donna applies to the more prestigious Royalty Airlines, run by the dynamic Sally Weston (Candice Bergen). The film's funniest scene sees boss-eyed flight instructor (Mike Myers) interviewing new applicants, during which Myers draws heavily on his arsenal of schtick. Hilarious as he is, Myers' tone of broad stupidity is in contrast with the rest of the film's subtler tack, while Paltrow, despite her poodle hairdos and cartoon outfits, ploughs on belligerently, playing it straight, as though not in on the joke.

The film's romantic element comes courtesy of Donna's involvement with law student Ted (Mark Ruffalo), forcing her to choose between her ascending career and plummeting personal life. But even this thread fails to hold things together. An outtake sequence during the closing credits of Paltrow doing a choreographed routine to 'We Are Family' gave proof, were any more needed, that had View From The Top been someone visiting a shrink, they would be classified as having an identity crisis.