By Mason Adams

Archives Reprint

   mason.adams@roanoke.com

   981-3342

    Like the 1980 comedy classic "Airplane!," "Soul Plane" succeeds by firing a rapid volley of jokes through lots of characters and situations.

    Not all the jokes work, but there are so many that even the slow stretches pass quickly. It's like they say about the weather in certain areas: If you don't like it, wait a couple of minutes.

    The first 15 minutes provide the setup and tone for the rest of the movie. After a series of jokes about airline food and luggage handlers, Nashawn (Kevin Hart), a not altogether likable protagonist, wins $100 million in a lawsuit over a mishap in a plane's bathroom. He uses the money to establish his own airline, setting up the first flight and even more bathroom and flying jokes.

    The criterion for judging the success of a modern slapstick is how well it stands up in repeat viewings on video, cable and the like. "Soul Plane" should do well, merely because of the sheer number of silly characters and punch lines. There's the stoney Captain Mack (Snoop Dogg), the token white family (Tom Arnold plays the father), a lewd blind man (John Witherspoon, who played the father in "Friday"), a sexy Hispanic stewardess, a pair of rowdy security guards and enough extras to fill first-class, "low class" and the dance club on the plane's second floor. The RZA-produced soundtrack is omnipresent and almost a character in its own right.

    The jokes are nonstop and deal mostly with sex, drugs, bodily functions and more sex. There's even a nice twist on the "You look like Halle Berry" line that's recently become a bit of a cliche.

    "Soul Plane" isn't particularly deep, but it's a worthy descendent of "Airplane!"

    Soul Plane

    HHH 1/2

    At Valley View Grande 16 and Carmike 10 at Tanglewood Mall. Rated R for strong sexual content, language and some drug use. One hour, 27 minutes.

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