It's in the Air: Jack Benny being a goofball

Is this thing worth your time?

If you're a fan of old-timey slapstick or have a soft spot for Jack Benny just doing his thing, sure, dive in. If you need a movie with a plot that holds together better than wet tissue paper, skip it. It’s the kind of flick that feels like it was written on a napkin in a diner ten minutes before cameras started rolling.

Jack Benny plays a con man here, which honestly feels like the most natural role for him. He’s got that look of constant, mild panic that serves the character perfectly. He's running from an IRS agent who is basically a human bloodhound. The whole thing is just a series of misunderstandings at a resort that clearly had a very limited budget for extras.

Oddly specific observations

• The tennis scenes are hilariously dated. Nobody in the history of the sport has ever played in outfits that stiff.
• There’s a moment where Benny stares at a balloon—the stratosphere thing—and you can almost hear him thinking, "Why am I doing this for the paycheck?"
• The dialogue is fast, almost like they were trying to finish the movie before the sun went down.

It’s funny how these old comedies lean so hard into the "reforming the bad guy" angle. Alice, the wife, is basically a saint. Why she’s still hanging around a guy like Calvin is the biggest mystery of the whole film. Maybe she just really loves the desert air. Or maybe the script just needed a reason for the third act to exist.

I found myself zoning out during the business scenes. When they start talking about airplane manufacturers and balloon logistics, the movie just dies. It’s way better when Benny and his sidekick "Clip" are just bickering in a hallway. That's the real meat of the movie.

Watching this made me think of the simple, chaotic energy you find in Snobs. It doesn’t have the same bite, but it’s got that same "let's just see what happens" attitude. It feels less like a finished product and more like a collection of bits that they taped together.

Is it a masterpiece? Hardly. But there's a certain charm to how desperate everyone looks. The acting is loud, the pacing is frantic, and it never pretends to be high art. Sometimes that's exactly what you need on a Tuesday night. 🎈