A View From the Top Review
by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)March 24th, 2003
"A View from the Top" – No Frills but Adequate Trip
With the hostilities having already commenced a half a world away, a palpable sense of concern seems to preoccupy many of us here at home, as we are fixated to the various news channels providing 24-hour coverage. Something to distract us with a little bit of levity may be welcome. We could use something to break the ongoing soberness of press briefings, expert testimonials, and those infrared cameras that capture missiles and anti-aircraft artillery coruscating the night sky.
To that end, we can appreciate the fluffiness of something like "A View from the Top," a sweet-natured psuedo-romantic comedy. I describe this film as 'psuedo' because it has only a smattering of romantic giddiness and playfulness. It's not really enough to fully endear us to the characters, but it's bright enough to keep us from losing interest. And it has only a smattering of cutely funny scenes as our heroine bumbles her way through her choices and her life's lessons. It never provides any truly memorable or unique comedic moments, but it has just enough zest to keep the pace from stalling.
The film is about innocent Donna (sunny Gwyneth Paltrow), who has spent a listless life in a small town, surrounded by people with little or no aspiration. She is stirred when she watches a television show that inspires her to become a flight attendant. Her first job is as unglamorous as her upbringings. This opening is probably one of the funnier elements of the film. The airline is a shoddy commuter service, her uniform makes her look like a plastic lawn ornament, and she is terrified on her flight.
Things, however, start to look better when she lands the opportunity to work for the premier airline in the industry. Securing this job is like trying to enter an Ivy League school. There are dorms, a campus-like environment, classes, uniforms, and tests. The way that this is depicted, however, gives this occupation a certain sense of majesty. If you are in your 20s, you might be swayed to consider this as a career choice. Donna is a customer service angel and is destined for good things.
Conflicts need to arise to sustain the dramatic element. Here, they come in two forms. The first involves a tough choice between romance and career. She falls in love with affable Ted (Mark Ruffalo). However, she wonders if there is still more to life and will have to make a tough decision as to which one to sacrifice. Additionally, her ascension is unexpectedly stunted when she does poorly on a placement exam. It provides another test of her character and her inherent optimism.
It is Paltrow's radiance that buoys this film from the lackluster to the serviceable. Other plusses include a resurgent Candice Bergan, who mentors Donna and provides her with invaluable advice. Meanwhile, the inclusion of Mike Myers, as a procedural trainer, offers moments of poignancy and outright looniness.
I would have appreciated more looniness, actually. The film has a kind of unseen burden that weighs the film down. It needed to be livelier. There is one animated sequence, which occurs as sort of a throwaway shown during the ending credits. Flight attendants perform the take-off instructions while shimmying and singing "We are Family." Now, that's the spirit.
Grade: C+
S: 0 out of 3
L: 1 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3
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