It feels quite strange to be laughing at anything in “Soul Plane”. Why? You’ve seen it all before. Secondly, we’ve been about as shocked as we can be by this Wayans brothers-esque brand of humor in recent years that nothing really surprises anymore, and thirdly, the film stars Tom Arnold.
But fact of the matter is, Jessy Terrero’s new urban spoof is a lot better than one would expect. It’s amusing, it’s inspired and hey, it’s a lot wittier than the last two “Scary Movies” combined. Though, like most lampoons, it runs out of steam about half way through.
Essentially, “Flying High” with all the Caucasian actors excised in exchange for African Americans, “Soul Plane” is an hour and a half of dirty jokes centering on the world’s first all-African airline.
After a mortifying experience on an airplane, Nashawn Wade sues the airline and is awarded a huge settlement. With the money, he decides to create his own full-service airline, NWA airlines. This is unlike any flight you’ve ever been on – there’s a disco upstairs, a gambling room, a musical video to kick off your flight and a guy with a 50 foot schlong ready to seduce your Caucasian wife.
Whilst not a shade on the unforgettable “Flying High” movies and really only a one, two or three joke flick, “Soul Plane” is still a guilty pleasure. It’s full of performers that are obviously having such a great time –Snoop Dogg, especially; you can’t help but appreciate their relish. And after the last couple of “Scary Movies”, it’s actually quite refreshing. Still, it’s probably no better than one of the better skits on “In Living Color”, and you wouldn’t pay full price for that would you? Wait for video.
