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The night after watching The Accountant, the next movie I watched was a classic spoof comedy known as Airplane!. It particularly parodies older disaster movies, so this was still a few years before directors like Roland Emmerich came along and popularized the genre with films like Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow.
The story of Airplane! follows Ted Striker, a former fighter pilot from an event simply referred to as "The War" (it's never specified as to which one). This event traumatized him to where he's afraid to fly ever again. His problems only get worse as he can't keep a job and Elaine Dickinson, his girlfriend from during the War and now a flight attendant, leaves him. Hoping to get her back, he boards the flight she happens to be on. Unfortunately, many passengers on board, as well as the pilots, become ill after dinner, and it's up to Ted to conquer his fear and save the day.
Something readers may be shocked to hear: this is the first post without a "What Didn't Work" section, because there's simply nothing wrong with this at all. It's difficult to find any flaws here. This may also be more of a retrospective.
What Worked: The two biggest positives with Airplane! are the cast and the script. With the cast, there's Robert Hays as Ted Striker, who delivers his lines in a deadpan manner, something another actor in this excelled at. It's easy to tell he's having fun portraying his character, but so committed to playing it straight at the same time that showing it would be too obvious. This is perhaps Hays's most iconic role in regards to film, as he would parody it later.
In addition to him, there's Julie Hagerty as Elaine, a naive flight attendant who seems completely oblivious to everything around her, a character trait that would be present in other roles. Someone else who often had a common character type is Robert Stack as Striker's former commanding officer Rex Kramer, with whom Striker does not have the best relationship. Unlike the two aforementioned actors, who would go on to parody their roles here, it's actually the other way around with him. He was known for portraying the "tough guy" type of character prior to starring in this movie, and then he parodies it.
Some of the supporting cast receive a few of the best lines. Examples include Peter Graves as the pilot, Lloyd Bridges as the control tower supervisor, and Stephen Stucker as the air traffic controller Johnny. The best character in the movie is Dr. Rumack, portrayed by the great Leslie Nielsen. Like Julie Hagerty, his character is completely oblivious to the scenario surrounding him, except he doesn't show it. While Robert Hays's approach to deadpan comedy is really good, Leslie Nielsen is a prime example of someone who perfected it. This is also evident through his portrayal of Lt. Frank Drebin in the Naked Gun films.
The other reason Airplane! is such a classic comedy is also why it's a good example of a parody film done right: the script. It works because it knows what the intent is: simply make fun of that era's disaster movies. Like more recent parody films, there are some references. However, they are used sparingly, make sense within a larger context, and allow the audience to figure them out. Plus, they don't feel dated. There are also clever types of humor, like visual gags, puns, and slapstick done right. The fact that the dialogue consists of what would ultimately become quotable lines is a bonus. If the characters are memorable, their dialogue may also be. This even applies to a few cameos here.
Overall: Airplane! does everything right. It has a simple purpose that makes the plot easy to follow. It has a great cast of characters, well developed through clever writing. It has numerous memorable moments with either perfectly used references, brilliant wordplay, or quotable lines. For those concerned that the parody genre is dead, there just haven't been any newer ones that are actually good yet. All that's needed is a team of people who know a certain genre well enough to understand a proper approach to parodying it. Airplane! is one such example. I guarantee that there will not be one moment where you're not laughing.