Crashed but didn't burn

Rating: 5/10 (18 February 2013)

Flight is one of those movies where the trailer makes you feel like you know what you're in for, only to find out the movie has nothing to do with a plane crash or planes in general.
Sure the plane does crash, and the premise of the film starts off with revolving around what actually happened with the plane. However, even the opening scene starts to fill you in on the main characters intentions and moral standing throughout the film. If it wasn't for Denzel playing Whip, his character would have gone nowhere, since by all accounts he is a very unlikeable guy. Denzel does bring some warmth and a friendly face to the uncomfortable crass moments of Whip. Finding out this screenplay sat around in Hollywood for awhile until Denzel sparked interest is not really a big surprise. Other than Denzel and a few moments of Goodman's always enjoyable on screen moments, this film is flat. It's about a drug/alcohol addict "hero" who never seems to really give us what we want as an audience (a moment to cheer for Whip).
This film is a by-the-book redemption film, but done better by Johnny Depp in "Blow". The cast sort of just deflates around the script, and a lot of unnecessary "Jesus" moments which start to feel like a hidden agenda for the writers. The female lead, a recovering drug/porn star?/lost her way, is also very boring. She offers little to no real connection to the audience, only aiding in predictable "my life is now saved" pictures on Whips jail wall at the end of the film.
The film itself is watchable, it's not a total failure in the technical aspect. There is a rise and fall and entertaining moments. But it is very boring, this is one to watch on Netflix when there is nothing else to do. I would really like to see Denzel in a much more compelling and interesting material. The guy is incredible, hence his nomination, but very obviously under utilized by this material.