View from the Top (2003)

A small-town woman tries to achieve her goal of becoming a flight attendant.

Director:

Bruno Barreto

Writer:

Eric Wald

Stars:

Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Kelly Preston

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Gwyneth Paltrow	...	Donna Jensen
Christina Applegate	...	Christine Montgomery
Mark Ruffalo	...	Ted Stewart
Candice Bergen	...	Sally Weston
Joshua Malina	...	Randy Jones (as Josh Malina)
Kelly Preston	...	Sherry
Rob Lowe	...	Co-Pilot Steve Bench
Mike Myers	...	John Witney
Marc Blucas	...	Tommy Boulay
Stacey Dash	...	Angela Samona
Jon Polito	...	Roy Roby
Concetta Tomei	...	Mrs. Stewart
Robyn Peterson	...	Donna's Mom
Nadia Dajani	...	Paige
John Francis Daley	...	Rodney

Storyline

Donna Jensen was raised literally and figuratively on the wrong side of the trailer park in Silver Springs, Nevada. She always believed it was her destiny to get out of Silver Springs. After reading Sally Weston's book, Sally who is arguably the most famous now ex-flight attendant in the world, Donna believes the path to leaving Silver Springs is to become a flight attendant despite never having been on an airplane. After an initial bumpy start to this career, Donna shows a natural flair for the job, so much so that she applies to work for world class Royal Airlines, where Sally Weston mentors. After meeting Donna, Sally believes Donna is destined for flight attendant greatness, namely working first class in the New York-Paris flights. Donna believes in herself as a flight attendant, but has to overcome some obstacles, including flight attendant trainer John Witney, who has some hidden anger issues, and her friend Christine Montgomery who also wants to be a great flight attendant ...

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Plot Keywords:

popping a cork | taxicab | b word | deception | looking at oneself in a mirror | 

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Taglines:

A comedy that goes first class.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language/sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States] Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 March 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

A View from the Top

Filming Locations:

Bullhead City, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,009,513, 23 March 2003, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$15,589,458, 27 April 2003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax,Brad Grey Pictures,Cohen Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Gwyneth Paltrow and Mark Ruffalo are saying their goodbyes following their first date, Mark tells her, "Good luck in school. Don't run with scissors." Gwyneth would star in Running with Scissors (2006).

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Goofs

When Donna is on her very first flight with Sierra Air, her hair is piled up in a 'big' hairdo with a ponytail. When the flight is over, and Co-Pilot Steve is talking to her, her hair is perfectly straight.

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Quotes

Donna Jensen: Sally always said, life is a series of arrivals and departures.

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Crazy Credits

Special Thanks to Peter Falk

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Alternate Versions

15 seconds were cut prior to release from a flight attendant training scene in which Mike Myers made a joke about what to do during a terrorist situation.

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Connections

References The Oprah Winfrey Show (1986)

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Soundtracks

I've Been Waiting
Performed by Sixpence None the Richer
Written by Matt Slocum
Courtesy of Word Entertainment
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products

User Reviews

Hard to criticize...

Here's where being a film critic is tricky. This movie isn't really bad, it's actually worth seeing in some senses. It's less than 90 minutes long, which is a safe bet for a comedy. But it fails to deliver any laughs, it stumbles in its course and has some major flaws. As a film critic, my assignment is to tell the readers my humble opinion of whether a film is worth paying to see. In that regard, no, "View from the Top" is not recommended by me. I didn't even really enjoy it that much. It delivers nothing fresh. But I never checked my watch, I never felt like doing something else with my time. It is a harmless film, a good-natured, sappy one-laugh movie that isn't as clever as it thinks it is but still manages to be sublimely interesting in an odd fashion. It kept me interested, although there may be a difference between interested and entertained.

"View from the Top" has been in what filmmakers call "production hell" for quite some time. It finally was released only to bomb at the box office. I don't blame the public for ignoring it. It's sad to think that the funniest thing about "View from the Top" is that Mike Myers' co-star role as a weirdo airline employee is the highlight of the movie. Myers' cameo may be self-indulgent, but not nearly as much so as Adam Sandler's in "The Hot Chick." In fact, without Mike Myers, I would have given this movie an even lesser rating.

The movie is about airline stewardesses and their way to the top. This sounds like a dull subject because it is. This can hardly be stretched out into a long movie without becoming repetitive. But, in a sense, it isn't clichéd - there are no evil characters bent on the heroine's destruction, there aren't any sexually suggestive pilots hitting on the heroine. It's just a story about a woman trying to make it to the top. It will probably inspire and enthrall the younger crowds but leave older audiences unsure.

The film stars Gwyneth Paltrow as Donna Jensen, a small-town girl who dreams of leaving her country home and moving out into the real world. After reading an inspirational book about a flight stewardess who made her way to the top, Donna leaves home and joins a low-key airline service. Rob Lowe makes a cameo as the pilot but then disappears for the rest of the film. With the ads for the movie, you'd think he's a main character.

Donna meets up with Shelly (Kelly Preston) and another young stewardess played by Christina Applegate. They decide to join Royalty Airlines, but Donna's test results are switched and she ends up being turned down for a job at the airline by Frank Whitney (Mike Myers), who has a funny eye that turns inwards and in order to read he must go through crazy guestures.

This movie has sweet performances and sweet intentions, and comes off the way it wants to - sweet - but I can't bring myself to fully recommend you pay to see it. "View from the Top" isn't a particularly fine movie. It's watchable fluff, and the techniques the film use are not as clichéd as something like "Legally Blonde." But in the end, I realized I had barely laughed at anything. Perhaps clichés aren't always the things to avoid.

2.5/5 stars