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5.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Air Hostess remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old movies that feel like they were stitched together by someone running on too much coffee, sure. Watch it if you want to see Thelma Todd being the best part of every single scene she walks into. If you hate melodrama, or if you get annoyed by characters making the absolute worst decisions possible, you’re going to be frustrated by the first ten minutes.
The whole thing moves at this bizarre, jerky speed. One minute we’re talking about WWI trauma, and the next we’re at an airport watching people yell about airplane engines. It feels like someone took three different scripts and mashed them together with a heavy stapler.
The dynamic with the "uncles" is just… strange. They’re supposed to be these sweet guys honoring a dead friend, but they act more like overbearing jailers. It’s hard to tell if the movie wants us to find them charming or just plain creepy. There’s a specific look J.M. Kerrigan gives when he’s "guarding" Kitty that made me want to tell him to go home and take a nap.
And let’s talk about that train scene. It’s the kind of climax that makes you laugh out loud because the physics are basically non-existent. Ted crashing a plane onto tracks to stop a train? It’s pure, unadulterated nonsense, but you have to admire the sheer audacity of it. It’s a bit like the frantic pacing in The Aggravatin' Kid, where everything just sort of happens because the plot demands a finish line.
It’s not a masterpiece. It’s barely even a coherent story. But honestly? I’ve seen much worse. It’s got that specific, scrappy energy of early talkies where everyone is talking just a little too fast and the sets feel like they might tip over if you sneeze. ✈️
IMDb —
1919
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