The Higher Power

Rating: 8/10 (25 October 2012)

This is not exactly a preachy film, but although another hero in the world of aviation is introduced, it seems to at least have the finger of a higher power in it. Captain Whip Whitaker comes out a hero when he saves the lives of almost everybody on board a plane that takes a fatal dive. As the action unfolds, the wing of the approaching plane slices the steeple of a church where the congregants were outside praising God. It turns out that most of the passengers were miraculously saved after the impact, but the credit went to the pilot for a bold airborne move, who also survived. But, the movie is really about the the pilot's drug and alcohol problems leading the audience to begin to worry that evidence of the use will punish the wrong people. And that is where the deeper challenge lies -- will the resulting investigation show the crash was due to mechanical reasons, or will it show pilot error caused by drug and alcohol abuse? I will just say that while this 'higher power' seemingly comes out to settle things, there are some other points that the movie doesn't make that are critical to understanding the plot.
The first thing is that it is evident the pilot has lost some of his standing in the world of aviation. His employment opportunities may have been diminished by his behavior, but it is not clear. What is clear is that he had a job with a much larger airline, and that in the film he is working for a commuter airline, which offer smaller opportunities, and probably lower pay. Was this hot-shot pilot forced to leave Delta Airlines because of his drinking? Also, it is unfortunate that the crew-abuses by airline management is not featured more directly. These points may help the viewer embrace the events that are going on.
Let me just end with a description of a different pain. Several members of the audience gasped quite noticeably as large, thick, 'buds' were also forced down(the drain). It's not exactly central to the plot, but I did check the appropriate box. Yes, there were some other funny parts, too, and the humor was done from in a clever way.