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"View from the Top" stars Gwyneth Paltrow in a sweet and sort of innocent story about a small-town girl who knows life holds more for her, and how a job as a flight attendant becomes her escape route. Along the way she meets friends who help her and friends who double-cross her, a guy who dumps her, and a guy she dumps. And she finds love. What more do you want from a movie? I confess I expected something else. Flight attendants have been asking me for weeks about this movie, which they are in a lather to see. It may be closer to their real lives than they expect. I anticipated an updated version of Coffee, Tea or Me? but what I got instead was Donna the Flight Attendant . The movie reminded me of career books I read in the seventh grade with titles like Bob Durham, Boy Radio Announcer . It's a little more sophisticated, of course, but it has the same good heart, and a teenager thinking of a career in the air might really enjoy it.

So did I, in an uncomplicated way. Paltrow is lovable in the right roles, and here she's joined by two others who are sunny on the screen: Candice Bergen , as the best-selling flight attendant who becomes her mentor, and Mark Ruffalo (from " You Can Count on Me ") as the law student who wants to marry her. The movie knows a secret; most careers do not involve clawing your way to the top, but depend on the kindness of the strangers you meet along the way, who help you just because they feel like it.

We meet Donna (Paltrow) as the daughter of a much-married former exotic dancer from Silver Springs, Nev. She seems doomed to life working at the mall until she sees a TV interview with the best-selling Bergen, whose book inspires Donna to train as a flight attendant. Her first stop is a puddle-jumper named Sierra Airlines, which flies mostly to and from Fresno, but then she enrolls in training at Royalty Airlines, where the instructor ( Mike Myers ) is bitter because his crossed eye kept him from flying. Myers finds a delicate balance between lampoon and poignancy--and that's some balance.

Ruffalo plays the sometime law student who comes into her life in Nevada and then again in Cleveland, where she's assigned not to Royalty's transatlantic routes but to the discount Royalty Express. Her first flight is comic (she runs down the aisle screaming "We're gonna crash!") and then we follow her through intrigues and romantic episodes that lead to a lonely Christmas in Paris when she decides life still has to offer more than this.

The movie, directed by Bruno Barreto and written by Eric Wald , is surprising for what it doesn't contain: No scenes involving mile-high clubs, lecherous businessmen or randy pilots, but the sincere story of a woman who finds her career is almost but not quite enough. Adult audiences may be underwhelmed. Not younger teenage girls, who will be completely fascinated.

Roger Ebert

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism.

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Film Credits

View from the Top (2003)

Rated PG-13 For Language/Sexual References

Gwyneth Paltrow as Donna

Mark Ruffalo as Ted

Christina Applegate as Christine

Mike Myers as John Whitney

Candice Bergen as Sally

Kelly Preston as Sherry

Rob Lowe as Co-Pilot Steve

Directed by

• Bruno Barreto

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View from the top, common sense media reviewers.

What was Gwyneth Paltrow thinking?

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Sexual references.

Some strong language.

Characters drink and smoke.

Parents need to know that this movie has some strong language and sexual references. A character gives the finger. There is a reference to circumcision and there are jokes about a character's "talent" for hickeys.

Violence & Scariness

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Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie has some strong language and sexual references. A character gives the finger. There is a reference to circumcision and there are jokes about a character's "talent" for hickeys. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Community reviews.

• Parents say (1)

Based on 1 parent review

Small City Girl Follows Her Dreams

What's the story.

VIEW FROM THE TOP stars Gwenyth Paltrow as Donna, the daughter of a much-married former showgirl who lives in a small town in Nevada. She dreams of a bigger world, and is looking forward to moving to Tucson with her boyfriend. But he breaks up with her in a birthday card (he explains that they don't sell breaking up cards). She thinks she will be stuck there forever until she sees Sally Watson (Candice Bergen), the most famous flight attendant in the world, on television. Now Donna's dream has direction. She gets a job as a flight attendant on a commuter airline for gamblers. But she wants more -- she wants to do first class on international flights, like Sally. So she applies to Royal Airlines, and her life changes forever.

Is It Any Good?

It's hard to imagine what attracted such a high-powered cast to this forgettable little movie about a small-town girl with a dream. It's almost a tribute to the movies we like to think of as being from a simpler era, but there is no ironic distance and no attempt to re-invent the genre for another era. It's like an episode of That Girl . Will there be setbacks for Donna to be plucky about? Will there be a dreamboat to make it hard to take that job when it does come through? Will there be comic relief in the form of a quippy gay guy and a teacher with high standards and an eye problem? Oh, so you've seen this movie before? Me, too.

This is a cotton candy movie, and it melts away into sticky nothing almost before you can taste the sugar. There are some mildly funny moments and the performances are fine, but they don't make up for its lack of anything particularly engaging in its characters or story. The coming attraction has all the best moments and the credit sequence outtakes have more vitality than the rest of the movie.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about how Donna came to believe that she was capable of more than she had been told. How can families help their members believe in themselves and their dreams?

Movie Details

• In theaters : March 21, 2003
• On DVD or streaming : September 9, 2003
• Cast : Candice Bergen , Christina Applegate , Gwyneth Paltrow
• Director : Bruno Barreto
• Inclusion Information : Latino directors, Female actors
• Studio : Miramax
• Genre : Comedy
• Run time : 87 minutes
• MPAA rating : PG-13
• MPAA explanation : language/sexual references
• Last updated : June 21, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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View From the Top Reviews

View for the Top is one of those movies I saw years ago and, every now and then, I sit back and wonder, "Wait a minute - did that really happen?"

Full Review | Aug 30, 2021

What was Gwyneth Paltrow thinking?

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 29, 2010

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Aug 7, 2008

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 30, 2006

Too sweet to be truly funny and too over-the-top to be truly charming.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Oct 29, 2006

Full Review | Original Score: 2/5 | Dec 6, 2005

Miss Paltrow? We're gonna need that Oscar back.

Full Review | Jul 16, 2004

[A]n airy bit of fluff, a soap bubble of a movie.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jan 4, 2004

Teeters on the edge of lightweight, bland fare more associated with what's on airline menus. But the cast adds flavor and energy to the otherwise unremarkable itinerary.

Full Review | Sep 14, 2003

Not even cameos by Rob Lowe as a copilot, Chad Everett as Sally's Weston's husband, or George Kennedy as an airline passenger can rev up this plummeting plane wreck.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/10 | Sep 11, 2003

A flat, superficial comedy that never establishes a tone.

Full Review | Sep 3, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | Aug 12, 2003

O filme pode at no ser uma obra-de-arte, mas est longe de ser o desastre que muitos anunciaram. Ao menos, ele diverte.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Aug 9, 2003

It's a pity...that such a first-class cast is forced to fly economy in this aimless exercise that never knows its destination.

Full Review | Original Score: 2.5/5 | Aug 3, 2003

It aggressively browbeats you into enjoying it while it's on, even if it's the sort of movie that evaporates from memory once the lights come up.

Full Review | Original Score: 2/4 | Jun 27, 2003

If you're looking to spend a couple of hours in first class, View from the Top is definitely not the ticket.

Full Review | Jun 4, 2003

The Christina Applegate renaissance is in serious jeopardy.

Full Review | Original Score: 1/5 | May 28, 2003

Full Review | Original Score: 1/4 | May 14, 2003

Paltrow cannot begin to save this unfunny flight attendant comedy that should have gone direct to video.

Full Review | Original Score: D | Apr 27, 2003

The experience of watching this movie is a lot like commercial air travel: the flight attendants try to make your experience as pleasant as possible, but it's still a long, dull ride in a small seat.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Apr 25, 2003

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• DVD & Streaming

View From the Top

Content caution.

In Theaters

• Gwyneth Paltrow as Donna; Mike Myers as John; Christina Applegate as Christine; Kelly Preston as Sherry; Candice Bergen as Sally; Mark Ruffalo as Ted

Home Release Date

• Bruno Barreto

Distributor

• Miramax Films

Movie Review

The story is about an aspiring flight attendant. But when exactly does it take place? That was the only question occupying space in my battered brain after sitting through this 90-minute slice of comedic drivel (an hour and a half that seemed to take all afternoon). I wasn’t basking in the warmth of onscreen love finally found. I wasn’t inspired by a lonely girl’s protracted journey to fly the friendly skies. I just wanted to know when it happened. Early clues such as Madonna-inspired wardrobe selections, obtrusive placements of a Rubik’s Cube and Bon Jovi tunes jamming on the radio scream 1986. But the 1960s-style (orange) airline uniforms say Gwyneth Paltrow’s Donna came of age 20 years earlier. Then, without so much as a Back to the Future fare-thee-well, it’s 2001. Paris boasts its millennium ferris wheel, but Donna’s no more than a month or two older. Only her hairstyle and clothes have changed. It’s as if the filmmakers somehow forgot that they shot the first half of their movie on the set of Flashdance before moving across town to elbow aside the cast members of Friends for a glimpse of present-tense New York.

And that’s just one of the sedately paced View From the Top ’s many flaws.

Donna is a small-town Nevada girl who can’t seem to break away from her “trailer-trash” past (director Bruno Barreto adds sexy and sleazy to the mix, then milks this stereotype for all it’s worth). Longing to see the world, Donna gets a job as a stewardess (that’s what she’s called in the movie, another clue to the script’s time less floundering) at a Podunk commuter airline. From there, she secures a slot at top-drawer carrier Royalty Airlines’ training school, where she submits to the quasi-quirky tutelage of the resident lazy-eyed instructor, John (Mike Myers in what may be his dumbest and most humorless role yet). Cheated out of her rightful place as an ace newbie, she’s shunted to Cleveland to baby-sit a commuter route. Not exactly New York to Paris. Cleveland brings with it love, however, as she falls for, then moves in with, the man of her dreams, Ted. Shortly thereafter, her stellar test scores are resurrected and she’s offered “Paris/First Class/International.” So it’s bye-bye lover boy, hello bright lights and long nights. But will Donna be happy now that her life’s ambition is securely strapped into the jump seat beside her? Are you kidding?

positive elements: Silly though it may be in this setting, there’s a strong message sent that teens can do anything they want with their lives if they apply themselves and strive to always do their best. A mentor tells Donna, “You can have everything you want to if you stay focused and you follow your head, not your heart.” Mixed-bag advice on closer examination, but Donna gets the point. She studies hard to become a flight attendant, and doesn’t let occasional discouragement and setbacks get in her way. When she finds out that roomie Christine has stolen seemingly insignificant items (decorative soaps) from their mentor’s home, she reprimands her friend anyway, lecturing her on the virtues of honesty and of playing by the rules. Ultimately, her friend’s kleptomania is punished and honesty is rewarded. Realizing that the reality of her dreams isn’t as pretty as the fantasy that sent her chasing them, Donna has the wisdom to reevaluate her life and reset her internal navigation. Intact, loving families are lauded.

nudity and sexual content: There are more short skirts (with cleavage to match) in this movie than at a Dallas Cowboys cheerleading tryout. Donna and her girlfriends flaunt their bodies, manipulating their outfits for optimal sex appeal. Straight skirts. Miniskirts. Halter tops. Bikinis. Panties. Bath towels. Early on, after locking lips with her high school boyfriend, Donna teases him with an invitation to watch her change clothes. Later, after her bikini clasp breaks, she’s seen hugging its top to her chest as Ted fixes it for her. Christine urges Ted to rub suntan oil on her back and shoulders. He obliges, but resists her obvious come-ons. Donna and Ted make out a few times, and the two move in together shortly after they begin dating (sex is implied). There are jokes about sexual pain, circumcision and polar bear testicles. Homosexual gags include images of a gay flight attendant positioned with his face buried in a male mannequin’s crotch.

violent content: While acquainting viewers with Donna’s past, the movie shows her mother’s fourth husband lying on the couch in their trailer. His son walks by and whacks him on the top of his head. A fight between Donna and Christine has a jealous Christine throwing most of the punches. Before it’s over, she has pushed Donna down and begun smashing her face into a loaf of bread.

crude or profane language: A half-dozen s-words fly out of theater speakers, along with close to a dozen milder profanities. The number of misuses of God’s name reaches 30-plus.

drug and alcohol content: That early scene of Donna’s stepfather depicts him drunk. Donna jokes about becoming an alcoholic when her life refuses to shape up. She and her friends all have occasional drinks of beer and wine. Alcohol is served in airplanes. Sherry smokes cigarettes.

conclusion: USA Today informs me that our cultural fascination with flight attendants dates back to May 15, 1930. That’s when the very first one, Iowan Ellen Church, boarded Boeing Air Transport. She and many of her early peers were nurses, hired to soothe a skittish public’s sky-shy nerves. They exist on one end of the spectrum. On the other comes the news that Hooters of America has decided to offer more wings than just the deep-fried, spicy variety. The restaurant chain, known for flaunting its well-endowed waitresses, has created its own limited-route airline which features “Hooters Girls” as flight attendants, wearing their well-known “uniforms.” View From the Top has more in common with the latter, and offers about as much taste.

Steven Isaac

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Metacritic reviews

View from the top.

• 75 Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert Adult audiences may be underwhelmed. Not younger teenage girls, who will be completely fascinated.
• 60 Chicago Reader J.R. Jones Chicago Reader J.R. Jones The tone seesaws between comic wackiness and romantic sincerity, with Paltrow better suited to the latter.
• 50 Chicago Tribune Mark Caro Chicago Tribune Mark Caro Why Paltrow, who was accepting a best actress Oscar four years ago, would take this clumsily written role is anyone's guess.
• 50 Washington Post Stephen Hunter Washington Post Stephen Hunter It's meant to be harmless fluff. It is.
• 38 Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea Mike Myers, responsible for the picture's one, or possibly two, laughs.
• 30 Variety Robert Koehler Variety Robert Koehler Flubs nearly every opportunity to be the comedy it wanted to be.
• 25 Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman Charlotte Observer Lawrence Toppman I think this camp classic is an accident along the lines of "Showgirls": howlingly funny, filled with gratingly earnest performances, riddled with dialogue that will be quoted at parties.
• 20 Village Voice Dennis Lim Village Voice Dennis Lim The film, meanwhile, goes for that choppy, air-pocket sensation, veteran helmer Bruno Barreto directing like he's never made a movie before, and never wants to again.
• 16 Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy Portland Oregonian Shawn Levy If the new I-wanna-be-a-stewardess picture View From the Top were an airplane, it would blow up on takeoff. If it were an airline meal, it would infect you with E. coli. If it were a parachute, it would be riddled with holes.
• 12 Boston Globe Ty Burr Boston Globe Ty Burr Who on earth is this embarrassment -- easily the worst film of the year to date -- aimed at?
• See all 30 reviews on Metacritic.com
• See all external reviews for View from the Top

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View From the Top

By Peter Travers

Peter Travers

Oscar winner Gwyneth Paltrow as Donna, a bottle-blond flight-attendant trainee who favors push-up bras and hooker makeup, is not just casting against type, it's casting against sense. What might fly as a skit on SNL never leaves the runway on the screen as Brazilian director Bruno Barreto and first-time screenwriter Eric Wald set the cast on a desperate search for laughs. From the TV promos, you'd think Mike Myers was Paltrow's co-star as an instructor. No such luck. He's in and out. Ditto Mark Ruffalo as Donna's lawyer boyfriend and Rob Lowe as a mile-high-club pilot. It's up to Paltrow, Christina Applegate as Donna's fellow trainee, Kelly Preston as a mentor and Candace Bergen as the mother stew of them all to carry the load. It's a no-go. View From the Top boasts a first-class cast, but they're all traveling coach.

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View from the top.

Directed by Bruno Barreto

Prepare for her arrival.

No one thought Donna would go very far. But when she sets her sights on becoming a first-class international flight attendant, Donna throws caution to the wind and takes off in pursuit of her dream. The ride is anything but smooth, however, and Donna's laugh-packed journey of a lifetime is rocked by more turbulence than she bargained for.

Gwyneth Paltrow Christina Applegate Mark Ruffalo Candice Bergen Joshua Malina Mike Myers Kelly Preston Stacey Dash Rob Lowe Marc Blucas Frederick Coffin Jon Polito Concetta Tomei Robyn Peterson Nadia Dajani John Francis Daley Priscilla Inga Taylor Matt Roth DonnaMarie Recco Daniel Raymont Connie Sawyer David Hayward Chelsey Cole Troy Evans Merrilee McCommas George Kennedy Candice T. Cain Valentin Siroon Jessica Capshaw Show All… Mary McNeal Stephanie Miller Susan Mosher Victoria Garcia-Kelleher Stephen Tobolowsky Anastacia Spiegel Amanda Wycoff Dawn-Marie Whelan Jeff Yagher Greg Bronson Roark Critchlow Chad Everett Wayne Federman Clarinda Ross Jackie Zane

Director Director

Bruno Barreto

Producers Producers

Brad Grey Bobby Cohen Lizzie Friedman Matthew Baer Francesca Silvestri Laura Hopper

Writer Writer

Editors editors.

Christopher Greenbury Charles Ireland Ray Hubley

Cinematography Cinematography

Affonso Beato

Assistant Director Asst. Director

Chitra F. Mojtabai

Executive Producers Exec. Producers

Amy Slotnick Alan C. Blomquist Robbie Brenner

Production Design Production Design

Art direction art direction.

Elizabeth Lapp

Set Decoration Set Decoration

Ellen Brill

Stunts Stunts

Sonny Tipton Reuben Langdon Patricia M. Peters Dennis Keiffer Lisa Hoyle Randy Hall Dane Farwell Donna Evans Denney Pierce Paul E. Short

Composer Composer

Theodore Shapiro

Costume Design Costume Design

Mary Zophres

Releases by Date

21 mar 2003, 16 may 2003, 11 jul 2003, 04 sep 2003, 11 sep 2003, 01 oct 2003, releases by country.

• Theatrical U
• Theatrical 12
• Theatrical 0
• Theatrical PG
• Theatrical PG-13

87 mins   More at IMDb TMDb Report this page

Popular reviews

Review by Sylvie ★½ 6

Add “sit through this movie” to the list of things I’d do for Ayoade.

Review by richardson abdinegara ★ 2

Im watching this cause I wanna read Richard Ayoade's book

Review by Connor ★

that 1 star is for mark ruffalo being hot

Review by Juan ★★★★ 1

So I gave View from the Top a four star rating on Letterboxd. That's a thing that just happened and I never expected it to. Until I saw the movie and read a Netflix comment that I found truly helpful.

"Truly awful. I like everyone in this movie but they've been handed a lifeless script that obliges them to say and do things that aren't entertaining. Avoid unless your favorite movie is Romy and Michele's High School Reunion."

This was helpful for two reasons: 1. It let me know how genuinely awful this person is. 2. It let me know that my feelings about this movie were totally spot-on because I adore Romy and Michele's High School Reunion more than…

Review by Xavier ★★★★★ 2

how can so many of y'all be so wrong about this movie?

Review by Kylo ★★★★★

Paris. First class. International.

I will always remember Gwyneth Paltrow as a small-town girl with big dreams of becoming a flight attendant. Also, don’t mess with Sally Weston. This movie has big heart and the best soundtrack. It never fails to put me in a good mood. Follow your dreams.

Review by tibby ★★★★★ 1

you, a fool, has not read richard ayoade's book ayoade on top: this movie is bad. half a star. me, a genius, has read richard ayoade's book ayoade on top, knows what a clever and artistic film this is: the movie is what citizen kane wishes it was. five stars, only because letterboxd is afraid of how many it would earn if there wasn't that limit.

Review by jocey coffman ★★

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

uhhhhhh???? Christina applegate smashes Gwyneth Paltrow’s face in a giant loaf of bread in this????

Review by 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 🌷 ★½ 4

Richard Ayoade don’t EVER say I don’t do anything for you!!! I hate planes, flying, AND Gwyneth Paltrow this was ALL for you dude 😭😭😭

Review by marsha ★½

as good as a movie about a small town girl that starts off with the song ‘don’t stop believin’ can be

Review by paige ★★★★★ 1

I’m a flight attendant now!!!!! I think of this film every day

Review by Kylo ★★★★★ 3

I feel like rewatching this movie has given me the motivation to follow my dreams whatever they were in the first place. This movie is just so heartwarming and silly. Gwyneth Paltrow and Christina Applegate are hilarious. The best soundtrack. I love it so much.

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View from the Top (2003)

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View from the Top Movie Review

• Holly McClure Movie Reviewer
• Updated Apr 16, 2013

Genre: Comedy, Romance

Rating: PG-13 (for language/sexual references)

Release Date: March 21, 2003

Actors: Gwyneth Paltrow, Christina Applegate, Marc Blucas, Mark Ruffalo, Kelly Preston, Mike Myers, Rob Lowe, Candice Bergen

Director: Bruno Barreto

Special Notes: Look for George Kennedy ("Airport" and three "Airport "sequels) and Chad Everett ("Medical Center") in cameos. An inside joke is a scene that involves Kennedy -- critics laughed because he starred in all those "Airport" disaster movies .

Plot: When Donna's (Paltrow) teen sweetheart breaks up with her, she turns her sites towards a career in the airline business to escape her small town and the small-minded people in it. Donna wants nothing more than to be an international flight attendant and is willing to do whatever it takes to ensure that her dreams come true. Along the way she makes friends (Applegate, Preston) and meets a boyfriend (Ruffalo), learning that the road to success is rarely a smooth flight and sometimes the journey is filled with turbulence. Will Donna give up her dream job for love? Or will she choose an exciting career that will take her dreams to a new destination?

Bad: I have to admit that I made the mistake of thinking this movie was going to be hilarious, so I was a bit disappointed when I hardly laughed at all. It just wasn't as funny as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, the movie has its moments when it makes fun of big hair and self-absorbed women, but overall, the goofy situations and slapstick comedy isn't as funny or zany as the trailer makes it out to be. In fact, it's sort of silly. There's some profanity, adult situations and one scene that shows Donna in bed with her boyfriend (no nudity is shown).

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VIEW FROM THE TOP

What You Need To Know:

(PaPa, Ho, LL, V, S, A, D, M) Worldly outlook portraying life aim as either career or romance with many homosexual references with humor and portrayal of sleeping together before marriage, though no sexual activity is shown; 13 obscenities and 24 light profanities; comedic violence with girls beating each other up; homosexual flirts with woman's husband; portrayals of alcohol and smoking; and, stealing, lying, cheating, betrayal.

GENRE: Comedy

More Detail:

Gwyneth Paltrow stars in VIEW FROM THE TOP, a “Get-me-out-of-this-small-town-and-let-me-realize-my-dreams-but-oops-I-might-have-fallen-in-love” comedy. It’s campy and cute in spots, but the plot is over-used and generic. Paltrow plays Donna Jenson, a Nevada woman who works at “Big Lots” – a discount store where her boyfriend is the manager. When he breaks up with her, via a greeting card, she knows it’s heaven’s sign she needs to move up and out.

Donna sets her sights on becoming a flight attendant, a dream fueled by seeing an interview of a woman named Sally (Candice Bergen) as she talks about how she went from undervalued and insecure to on-top-of-the-world and a transformer of the stewardess industry. With big hair and tight skirts, Donna and her girlfriends (played by Kelly Preston and Christina Applegate) begin work for a tacky puddle-jumper airline that flies gamblers and drunks between two boring cities.

When a larger airline advertises for flight attendants, the girls audition before John Whitney (Mike Myers), a humorous but bitter trainer with one crazy eye that looks in another direction. The Kelly Preston character insults Myers and doesn’t make it, but the other two undergo Whitney’s rigorous and hilarious stewardess training.

Even though Donna is an enthusiastic, perfect student and her friend is rather dim-witted, her friend gets the glamorous New York job, and she only gets another lame, puddle-jumping schedule, stationed out of Columbus. She cries to her now-mentor, Sally, who manages to check the test scores and find some interesting surprises that begin reversing her destiny.

In the meantime, Donna starts falling for a hunky guy in law school, Ted, but even though he makes her feel like she “finally found home,” she reasons that, “I can’t let somebody tell me that I’ve seen enough.” She leaves the guy when she gets a cushy Paris assignment, but when she runs into her mentor overseas, she finds out that her perceptions of truth might be somewhat askew. Donna must decide, at a crucial moment, whether to follow her head or her heart.

VIEW FROM THE TOP starts out as a comedy and ends as a rather serious drama. There are some strange appearances from stars that never really show up again, like Rob Lowe and Stacey Dash, and apparently some cameos of Christian Slater and Regis Philbin were also cut.

Though Mike Myers is always funny, and especially so with his strange eye and jerky, nerdy movements, the movie is strangely constructed. The benefits of realizing the big flight attendant dream are not readily apparent, and the shallowness of the sexy stewardess bimbos is rather unsettling. The audiences probably are not making the decision with Donna to leave her love interest to pursue her career. As a matter of fact, it is more likely that most single female flight attendants would happily give up their travel headaches to settle down and snuggle by a fire with the likes of hunky, adoring “Ted in Ohio.”

Also sad and distasteful is Donna’s relationship with a male homosexual flight attendant, who shares his desires to also get a great guy and who flirts with Sally’s husband at a dinner party. The movie needed more positive sympathy for the characters; it’s the number one rule of screenwriting for a mass audience. Audiences have to like at least the protagonist and root for them along the way, making decisions with them. Someone described the characters in VIEW FROM THE TOP as cardboard.… Maybe so.

The worldview of VIEW FROM THE TOP is devoid of any concern for what God would choose, and it tries to sell career and romance as the only fulfillment for happiness in life. With a few great funny scenes, like Donna’s first flight where she panics and scares the passengers, VIEW FROM THE TOP will get some laughs but certainly not grip people’s hearts with any compelling truths.

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View from the Top

Cast & crew.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Donna Jensen

Christina Applegate

Mark Ruffalo

Candice Bergen

Sally Weston

Joshua Malina

What was Gwyneth Paltrow thinking?

• Average 3.9
• Reviews 125

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View From The Top Review

22 Aug 2003

View From The Top

Gwyneth Paltrow as trailer trash: not convincing. Mike Myers as a boss-eyed airline staff trainer: not funny. Christina Applegate as a bitchy best friend: not original. But let's not rush to blame the actors too hastily for this mediocre effort.

The plot and characterisation are as skimpy as the omnipresent mini-skirts and, for a comedy, the script simply doesn't get off the runway. Supposedly hilarious scenarios are handled with all the panache and timing of a particularly poor 1970s sitcom.

The obsession with breasts (the cinematographer and costume designer apparently either in collusion or under orders here) may go some way to compensating male viewers for their time, and young women may find glimpses of pleasure in the early scenes of liberation. But its conclusion is so tepid, its journey so half-hearted and its look so uncommonly dated that this is unlikely to feel worth the ride.

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Review: ‘sight’ says we should all try to work miracles for each other.

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In a weekend dominated by summer franchise tentpole releases Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga and The Garfield Movie , director Andrew Hyatt’s true story Sight — based on Dr. Ming Wang’s autobiography From Darkness to Sight , adapted for the screen by cowriters Hyatt, John Duigan, and Buzz McLaughlin — plays as counter-programming for adult viewers look for something down to earth at the box office.

Terry Chen and Greg Kinnear star in "Sight."

I expect Sight to debut to about $2-2.5 million in North America, but it might see a strong hold on Memorial Weekend if older audiences turn out enough for the four-day holiday. From there, the film’s prospects depend on how limited the release is and whether viewers are in the mood for this sort of entertainment at the multiplex.

The truth is, it’s rare for an adult drama to stand out in the summer season, especially if it’s got a limited release, and especially if the appeal is more targeted toward faith-based and older adults. These target demographics will reward in the long run with PVOD and other rentals, since the budget is low enough that box office doesn’t have to do much lifting for ancillary markets and revenue streams to do the rest.

But I suspect most of those who seek Sight — whether you’re a person of some particular religious faith or spirituality, an atheist, an agnostic, or however you believe or don’t believe — will be rewarded with a new perspective into an incredible biography and life’s work that brought vision to so many and changed the world. That’s a statement about Dr. Wang, of course, but it also reflects his personal aspirations and dedication to follow in the footsteps of that faith.

This is easily Hyatt’s best work to date, and cinematographer Michael Balfry — who also photographed the new Avatar: The Last Airbender streaming series, as well as Resident Alien — also does some particularly nice work here. The opening minutes do so much visually to set the tone and sense of place, as well as isolating Dr. Wang.

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Scenes rely on more complex compositions, the camera or its subjects always in motion, until we see Wang in his personal life. Early on, the camera finds him centered in mostly wide shots, surrounded by empty rooms at work, at home, or alone at silent restaurants. As events unfold and his isolation changes, the camera opens up his world and allows him to move through it with increasing ease, while still able to recenter him in moments of doubt and loss.

We’re introduced to Ming Wang as an adult, an acclaimed physician who is presented with a young blind child hoping he can perform a miracle and restore her sight.

The child’s biography and the horrible conditions of her upbringing and blindness compel Wang to recall his own childhood, his own search for a miracle to free him from the darkness closing in on him, that helps him realize he is still short of that goal in his own life. And so begins his search for a way into the light, through bringing light to this child. Her search miracle becomes his own, driving him in hopes he can redeem himself by restoring her sight.

It is in the details of these people’s lives that Sight finds miracles of life and storytelling, because you don’t have to believe the same things as the person in a story to relate to their condition, their humanity, or their search for a greater vision of the world and a way to share that vision with others.

It’s moving, inspiring, and yet also heartbreaking and blunt in confronting the suffering we subject others to in this world merely for being born in the wrong place at the wrong time, and how sometimes we are in a position to perform a miracle for someone else who needs mercy in a world that can often feel devoid of much grace.

Flashbacks tell us of Wang’s early childhood in China during the violence of the Cultural Revolution, witnessing the failures and limitations of medicine when a family friend is blinded by a factory accident. The terrorism of the Maoist extremists is eventually directed upon Wang himself and a girl he loved in their youth, and we see his subsequent immigration to the United States, his medical studies, and a touch of the racism he faced as an immigrant from China.

The story could’ve benefited from a deeper look into those years of his life, as the film’s runtime is only a bit over an hour and a half. But there’s still plenty of meat on the bones in this story, so the montage and occasional scenes work within the larger context.

These past events are all woven into the modern story of Dr. Wang’s work, his loneliness, and his need to save a blind child who reminds him of that girl from his tragic past. His hope of finding some way to let go of that guilt and pain, and how it unfolds in unexpected ways, includes important perspective about how blindness doesn’t mean an inability to understand, to experience, and to imagine beauty.

The film does a good job with this mirroring and realization, and manifest as a comment on the question of whether we think of loss and death as a darkness that makes us afraid of living. There are lessons about forgiving ourselves for those we can’t save and for our failures, and learning not to let the pain of loss make us fear doing what we can to try to help others.

Most importantly, Sight is about how our search for a miracle in our own lives is often fulfilled when we decide to help others find their own miracles. Miracles don’t have to be literal Biblical events, we’re talking metaphorically and about the fact that sometimes the distance between a person and what they need is so great it may as well take a miracle for them to survive. And sometimes we are in a position to perform the miracle that person needs, through a kindness or a larger effort, even a sacrifice of our own. You don’t have to be religious or spiritual to value that advice.

However obvious that might sound, by the time Sight reaches its inevitable conclusion, the emotional impact lands as hard as it should, helped by good framing devices in a compelling true story, and by a terrific cast.

Particularly noteworthy are Sight’s co-lead actors Ben Wang (recently cast as the lead in the next Karate Kid film) and Terry Chen, respectively portraying Ming Wang in flashbacks to his younger days, and later in his career in the U.S. The actors balance a tremendous amount of complicated experiences and traumas, where familial love and devastating grief coexist in shaping Dr. Wang’s life story and driving him toward his destiny in bringing sight to millions of people.

The role of religion and faith is subtle, and it isn’t the message of the film. Rather, it is merely a reflection of how religion entered Ming Wang’s life and the role it played at a crucial moment in his life and his career. It’s presented thoughtfully and works as a lovely moment of convergence that doesn’t overburden the scenes — it’s a powerful but private moment, and it plays that way.

Sight is a good choice for adults seeking a more contemplative and serious experience at the movies, offering a view of important historical moments and modern medical advances through a personal lens of loss and redemption.

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Movie review: Strong performances propel road trip dramedy ‘Ezra’

Director Tony Goldwyn opens his family dramedy “Ezra” in the warm, collegial comfort of a comedy club. Max (Bobby Cannavale) perches on a stool, a handheld camera drifting closer and closer as he tells jokes about his life, including his autistic son, layering truths with punchlines, walking a tight-rope of tones. It’s an invitation from Goldwyn, and screenwriter Tony Spiridakis, to sit down and listen awhile as they unfurl this heartfelt, humorous and sometimes harrowing yarn.

It establishes right away that Max is the proud and loving father of Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald, an autistic actor making his film debut), who has no problem grappling with the realities of raising an autistic child. Throughout the events that follow, we never lose sight of that, because Max fiercely loves his son, and that understanding offers a sense of emotional safety as the plot that unfolds becomes increasingly high stakes.

It’s this place setting, as well as the strong lead performances, that allow Goldwyn to thread the needle on a story that could potentially go off the rails. “Ezra” is the story of a father, desperate to protect his son, who takes him on a cross-country road trip where they experience catharsis and healing. It’s a fairly traditional road movie formula with an autism twist. Also, the “road trip” is technically a “kidnapping,” since Max spirits Ezra out of bed from the home of ex-wife Jenna (Rose Byrne), and the film never shies away from that reality, in fact relying on this perceived danger to ramp up the dramatic tension and set characters in motion.

The kidnapping stems from a misunderstanding that spirals into an unfortunate accident, coupled with Max’s own traumatic triggers. It’s never fully explicated in the screenplay, but Max’s past mental health issues and possibly undiagnosed autism spectrum disorder are frequently alluded to, thrumming below the surface. His experience makes him an understanding father to Ezra, but also somewhat hampers his ability to properly parent his son. Upset that Ezra might be medicated with anti-psychotics and placed in a special education school, Max assesses that the doctors, pharmaceutical companies and the state are in collusion to keep himself and his son apart. He’s not necessarily wrong, but his desire to expose Ezra to the world and treat him like any other kid bumps up against Jenna’s wish to provide her son with every accommodation and suggested treatment.

Every character choice in “Ezra” is plausible because it comes from a place of emotional honesty in the script and performances. We understand why Max acts in the extreme, and also why Jenna is hesitant to call the authorities, but feels forced to do so, because their characters are well-established and perfectly performed.

It’s no surprise that longtime life partners Byrne and Cannavale have an easy chemistry, and Cannavale and Robert De Niro, who plays his gruff father, Stan, have sparkling, rapid-fire New York-accented rapport. While Cannavale holds the center as the complex Max, demonstrating his range, as well as his ability to lead a movie, De Niro, unsurprisingly, is magnetic. It’s not a huge role, but his performance is beautifully expressed.

Goldwyn has called in the big guns to set “Ezra” up for success, and in addition to Cannavale, Byrne and De Niro, he has cast supporting actors such as Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson, himself in a small role, and his “Ghost” co-star Whoopi Goldberg, who plays Max’s agent. She calls him when he’s on the road to Michigan to visit a friend (Wilson) at a summer camp, to let him know that he’s been booked on Jimmy Kimmel and needs to be in L.A. in a week, extending their trip even further across the country. Despite Ezra’s protestations, they head West, with Max convinced he needs his son as a good-luck charm for his set. Meanwhile, Stan and Jenna hit the road in hot pursuit, and “Ezra” becomes a dueling odd-couple road movie.

The film is an actor’s showcase , and it’s the performances that hold everything together , especially the young Fitzgerald, who is terrific as Ezra, a young man who communicates his preferences and boundaries clearly – he’s often the only character saying exactly what he means. But Goldwyn’s direction is sure-handed in navigating the complicated tone that tiptoes through comedy and pathos. He pushes his style with cinematographer Danny Moder, using those handheld close-ups for more emotionally intense moments, and imparting a sense of gritty authenticity to a story that often requires a suspended disbelief .

“Ezra” could tip into melodrama, but Goldwyn sidesteps that with a rather facile ending, seemingly skipping a story beat in the denouement. You crave one more moment to wrap things up, but sometimes it’s better to leave us wanting more , avoiding the treacle and focusing on the heart – and the humor – of the matter .

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‘black dog’ review: man bites dog, becomes his best friend in gorgeously offbeat canine caper from china.

Director Guan Hu ('The Eight Hundred,' 'Mr. Six') won the top prize in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard sidebar for his darkly comic thriller starring Canadian-Taiwanese actor Eddie Peng.

By Jordan Mintzer

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Chinese director Guan Hu’s visually stunning new feature, Black Dog , starts off with a familiar premise: After spending a decade behind bars, an ex-con named Lang (Eddie Peng) returns to his tiny native city in Northwest China on the outskirts of the Gobi Desert. He tries to integrate into regular life, but certain demons from his past come back to haunt him.

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Black Dog isn’t really a man’s-best-friend movie either, even if the relationship between Lang and his rabid mutt forms the crux of the plot. Set against a backdrop of urban blight and canine chaos, Guan’s highly original, deadpan thriller begins with a jarring sequence of dogs causing a bus to flip over on a desert road, only to get weirder and wilder from there. But at its heart, the film is really a classic story of redemption, taking lots of unexpected turns as it follows a down-and-out hero toward recovery.

The director’s previous efforts, including big-budget action flicks like Mr. Six and The Eight Hundred , are a far cry from the oddball tone and arthouse stylistics of Black Dog , which sits somewhere between the Coens’ No Country For Old Men and recent Chinese noirs like Diao Yinan’s The Wild Goose Lake . There’s some violence, but never of a particularly graphic kind, and there’s definitely some cruelty to animals. But the film is mostly about a very strange time and place, where men and dogs seem to be forever chasing each other around a desolate city on the verge of state-sponsored demolition.

The only true companion Lang makes upon his return is a mangy greyhound he runs into by one of the city’s many abandoned buildings, which is set to be destroyed in a massive urbanization plan that’s left much of the area populated by packs of stray pups. Guan makes sure to include a canine or two in nearly every shot of his movie, whether they’re silently watching the action from afar, strolling in the background, rushing through empty streets, or, in one standout stunt scene, crashing through a window.

Cinematographer Gao Weizhe’s superb widescreen images, bathed in dust and washed-out colors, constantly place Lang and his canine pal (who is never given a real name) within the vast uninhabited cityscapes and surrounding desert. With sand constantly blowing in from all sides, dogs running amok and other animals (serpents, tigers, monkeys) wandering about, it’s as if nature is taking its revenge on the forgotten town while the rest of China prepares to triumph when the Summer Olympics kick off in August.

Hollywood seems to put out a new mainstream dog flick every few months — the latest example being the Mark Wahlberg starrer, Arthur the King — but there’s also a subgenre of international films that treat canines with more depth and artistry. Guan’s strange and seductive new work belongs to the latter pack, joining other movies that have premiered in Cannes over the past decade, such as last year’s Palme d’Or and Oscar winner Anatomy of a Fall , where dogs become a pivotal feature of the plot.

While Black Dog didn’t walk away with Cannes’ cheeky Palme Dog prize for films of that category (it went to French actress-director Laetitia Dosch’s Dog on Trial ), it did scoop up a well-deserved Prix Un Certain Regard — no small feat in a sidebar that many believed outshined this year’s main competition. This should give Guan’s latest some traction beyond China, where he has already proved his bona fides as a major commercial filmmaker ( The Eight Hundred grossed a whopping $460 million), and now proves he’s capable of making something both out-of-the-box and oddly captivating.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘The First Omen’ on Hulu, a Shockingly Relevant, Well-Made Horror Prequel

• The First Omen

Where Was ‘The First Omen’ Filmed? Discover the Italy Filming Locations for the New ‘Omen’ Movie

New movies on streaming: ‘the first omen,’ ‘boy kills world,’ + more, nell tiger free explains ‘the first omen’ shot that was cut to avoid nc-17 rating: “no plain vagina allowed”.

The post-Roe-v-Wade world births another terrifying story about bodily autonomy in The First Omen ( now streaming on Hulu ), which at first seems like an IP cash-in but ends up being a pretty damn good movie that almost stands on its own two feet. It’s the sixth film in The Omen franchise , which launched with a 1976 minor genre classic, and continued through some cruddy sequels, a remake and a short-lived TV series. Directed by first-timer Arkasha Stevenson, The First Omen is a prequel to the original film that draws so many parallels to another of this year’s better horror movies, Sydney Sweeney vehicle Immaculate , you wonder if they weren’t part of a Hollywood conspiracy to release two film variations on the same theme within a couple weeks of each other – but who expected that they’d both be worth watching?

THE FIRST OMEN : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: I kinda wasn’t into The First Omen until the crazy girl licked the newbie nun on the face. I’ll backtrack a little: We open on two priests speaking vaguely about sinister secret Catholic shit, and the conversation ends, shall we say, ominously – more on that later, if it isn’t too spoilery. Then we cut to Margaret (Nell Tiger Free), a habit-wearing American arriving in Rome, and being greeted by a smiling and friendly priest character played by Bill Nighy, so we immediately don’t trust that . Margaret is so fresh-faced, she looks like the “after” photo in a Clearasil ad. She arrived in Italy to work in an orphanage for a while before taking her nunly vows and being married to the lord our gawd. Rome is in the midst of student political protests, which means things are a touch shaky around here, what with all the progress people want to make, and which the whole of Catholicism sees as an ideological threat. It’s 1971.

Now the good part, where the licking starts. Carlita (Nicole Sorace) is the problem child at the orphanage, and Margaret, as a problem child in recovery, is immediately drawn to her. Carlita drags her tongue across Margaret’s cheek – quite the greeting – and gives her a creepy drawing. No surprise, all the other nuns are rather uptight about such behavior, and often punish Carlita by locking her in the “bad room,” which Margaret rightly believes is unnecessary, but whaddaya expect from a bunch of ol’ nuns in 1971? Mercy, compassion and a good therapist? Margaret rooms with another nun-to-be, Luz (Maria Caballero), who dresses Margaret up in a halter top and spike heels for a night out, you know, to sow a wild oat or three before they give it all up for a wimple. Margaret feels weird and cold in clothing that shows a little skin, and she’s never drank booze before, but before you know it, she’s getting toasted and chatting with a handsome gentleman and dancing with him and licking him on the face and then the screen suddenly goes black.

Nell Tiger Free Says Her ‘First Omen’ Possession Scene Caused Crew to Walk Off Set: “Scaring Grown Men Has Become A Bit of A Kink”

Hey, it happens. She’s missing some time there. Don’t judge her. Although maybe she’s not quite right the next day, because we’re hearing weird choirs in the background and suddenly, one of the priests from the opening scene, Fr. Brennan (Ralph Ineson) approaches her and says vague stuff about needing to “tell her everything.” She returns to the orphanage and – actually, did I mention that Margaret sometimes sees things? As in hallucinations? Well, she does, and those things aren’t Smurfs and rainbows, more like the stuff you might expect from a horror movie that feels obligated to throw in a jump scare every so often. And this is when The First Omen really digs in and gets scary, unleashing some chilling imagery – hallucinated or otherwise, and sometimes we can’t quite tell – that does not bode well for Margaret as she tries to figure out what Carlita has to do with whatever it is Brennan goes on about in urgent, deeply concerned tones. Of course, it has to do with jolly old Satan and his Antichrist offspring, because you almost certainly aren’t watching this movie not knowing what this franchise is all about.

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Omen franchise fans can count the easter eggs and rank the movies from worst to best – knock yourself out. But I’m here to tell you that Free gets an Isabelle Adjiani-in- Possession -style moment that makes me want to watch that amazing, disturbing classic again again. 

Performance Worth Watching: What about “Free gets an Adjiani-in- Possession -style moment” did you not understand? It’s the kind of scene you don’t soon forget, especially if you’re the actor who had to prepare for it, execute it and live with it for the rest of your life. 

Memorable Dialogue: Classic binary morality/circular logic from on old school nun:

Old nun: (Carlita) had to go to the bad room. Margaret: Why is there a bad room? Old nun: Because some girls are bad.

Sex and Skin: Nothing at all sexy about any of this movie, although I need to warn you, there’s a shot here that’s just too AUGGGHHHHHHH for words. 

Our Take: There are enough instances of women being strapped to beds in The First Omen , it works as a screaming-loud metaphor for, oh, I dunno, some of the laws regarding choice and female bodily autonomy in this country? The context gives significant agency to what could’ve been a by-the-numbers IP flex, but instead entrenches its dread within some very real, tangible fears. Anyone surprised by this razor-sharp cultural criticism may want to de-ostrich their heads from the sand; anyone surprised that the sixth movie in a moribund franchise is thematically relevant, well-directed and frightening on multiple levels can join me in being knocked over with a feather, and in praising Stevenson – who also co-writes with Tim Smith and Keith Thomas – for creating the wiggle room to make a memorable film within the series’ narrative constraints.

Stevenson also shows an impressive eye for period-piece detail, allowing us to feel immersed in the setting and therefore more vulnerable to the heinous imagery she doles out: misc. sinister rituals, immolations, creepy-nun shit, a couple of truly shocking scenes that push the boundaries of R-rated horror nearly to a breaking point, and all but dare you to look away. It’s a frequently brave and daring movie where too many horror outings are content to pile on gore, jump scares and cliches; the film’s ooey-gooey-grossest, scariest moments hit hard and fast, but also carry dramatic weight. There are moments where one senses the director was likely compelled by her employers to wedge the story into the series’ pre-existing narrative, so the film occasionally veers into clunky and obvious moments. But for the most part, The First Omen works quite well whether you’ve seen the other films or not – and Stevenson delivers the brutality where it counts.

Our Call: Oh man, this Omen is gonna end up being one of the year’s better horror movies. STREAM IT.

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

• Stream It Or Skip It

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Skyline Drive-In

Review Highlights

“ My friend suggested the Skyline Drive-in and found it to be such a great and relatively safe activity during COVID times. ” in 8 reviews

“ You can tuned into the movie via the car radio and watch from inside or lower your windows for the speakers. ” in 5 reviews

“ We had an incredible time at Skyline for the Barbie movie . ” in 3 reviews

Location & Hours

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Brooklyn, NY 11222

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Where are the "seats" if you don't drive? How many are there? Are they very close together? Thanks!

There are seats in front of screen a few hundred ft back (same distance as being in the 2nd/3rd row of a theatre. There are normally 2-3 rows of chairs but the chairs are reclining lawn chairs (nice ones) - you can space them out. Behind chairs are… more

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Overall rating

Great location to enjoy a drive in move with a skyline view. This place is great for dates, night out with the girls, family fun.. There is VIP seating, meaning you can sit on a lounge chair instead of in your car. Honestly, car seating is more than enough. VIP seems unnecessary to me. There is food. If sitting in your car, bring blankets and pillows so you can preferably sit in the trunk of your car (obviously with the back trunk door open). Highly recommend coming here, especially for date night!!

I always dreamt of going to a drive-in like how they did in the 50s. Then again, I don't drive or have a car. But for the Barbie movie, I convinced my father to take us in his car and we all had a blast. First of all, it was the perfect Barbie blowout party because they had freebies like posters, Barbie fans, and Barbie drink pouches. We got there at 8pm, which was an hour too late since the party started at 7pm so we only got posters. But that didn't matter because it was still amazing with their pink carpet and beautiful city views. Almost everyone at the screening was dressed up in pink, and we all took pictures with one another because that's how cute everybody looked. And to add more to the Barbie-theme, they sold Barbie-inspired drinks. I had a pink Margarita, which was super yummy. At 9pm, the movie started and everyone got to their cars or in my daughter's case, on top of it and turned on their radios to hear the movie. There was outside seating so you could sit outside of your car and still hear the movie well. It was an amazing experience to see a movie about my childhood icon with the beautiful city lights surrounding it. At one point, there was even fireworks but that was from a far distance, which was unrelated to the movie screening. But it sure did add a magical touch to the whole night. I would highly recommend that you come to the Skyline Drive-in to experience a one-of-kind movie night.

This was my first Drive-in Movie experience and I enjoyed it. One of my favs purchased tickets a while ago and the deadline to use it was days away. They finally had a movie on the line up that she was interested in and she extended an invite to me. I was hyped because I don't recall ever attending a drive-in movie before and they were showing Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. I originally wanted catch this at a 4DX showing but missed the opportunity. I arrived early parked and waited for her to arrive. Not sure of the protocol, but I walked in the gate and when I located the car I hopped in, with her and the fam. There were people who walked in with chairs and sat in particular area to watch the movie of their choice. There was a total of three (3) different movies showing on different screens. You tune into the radio station that corresponded with the movie you were there to see. They offer a concession stand for snacks and there are picnic tables to sit at if you so choose. Of course you're welcome to bring whatever you want to snack on in your vehicle. Due to traffic I had limited time to pick up snacks. However, I did have a friend deliver adult beverages. The owner of @bearded.bartender (IG) came through with the delivery right to the drive-in (thank you sir). My friend headed to the snack stand for some items to munch on. I don't know prices but she came back with ice cups for the adult drinks, popcorn, and some meatless chicken nuggets. The nuggets were absolutely horrible. However, the popcorn was amazing. That says a lot coming from me because I'm not particularly a fan. I can't stand when the kernels get stuck in your teeth, but this popcorn was good. Overall, a great first time experience I will definitely go again. I now know what to do to make the adventure even more enjoyable. Just A Note: Pick up food/snacks before hand and arrive early for an obstructed spot, you can also bring chairs if you want sit outside your vehicle and enjoy the breeze.

See all photos from Shoshana R. for Skyline Drive-In

Haven't even been doing movies anymore just bad concerts in a residential neighborhood. Supposed to be a drive in

We had an incredible time at Skyline for the Barbie movie. I was elated when I found out there was a drive-in in New York City (granted this is nothing like the ones back home in California but this is still super special something like this exist in such a small/dense place). It's incredibly easy to book a ticket online. It cost $55 per car (up to 7 passengers) and there's a $1.99 booking fee. It's dog friendly and if you don't have a car that's totally fine too! You can walk, scooter, bike into Skyline Drive-In since they have outdoor seating. The entrance seems a little questionable but once you find the workers there, they help guide you inside and into your parking spot. The movie starts at 9pm but gates open at 7pm. I HIGHLY recommend getting there early to get good parking and to come prepare with your snacks/dinner because the concession stand is small and busy. There's also a picnic area nearby to sit down and eat. (The bathroom runs out of toilet paper as the night progress so be prepared). This place has a gorgeous view of Manhattan situated on the East River. You can sit on the chairs outside (come early to get dibs on good seats and bring a blanket), sit in the trunk of your car, or some people brought their own chairs. You can tune into the radio station but their speakers were surprisingly loud so we opted out. You'll definitely get to know your neighbors when you're here but everyone is courteous and mindful about their trash. Overall Skyline Drive-In was a memorable experience. (Barbie was a great movie btw, go see it!)

See all photos from Susana I. for Skyline Drive-In

I went with my boyfriend to see the Barbie movie. It was a really fun experience to be able to sit outside on a warm summer night. We did the seating option (seats are first come basis). They are provided and set up prior to arrival. We thought it was a great experience on a summer night. We didn't have any issues with the sound as some reviews mentioned. The line for snacks / drinks was insane! I waited for about 30 mins and was still roughly 15-20 minutes away when the movie was starting, so I opted to skip out on it entirely. The chairs were ok, but I think I'd bring my own chairs in future. Definitely would return, but would recommend bringing your own drinks / snacks!

Screen & nyc skyline

This popped up on a list of things to do for Halloween weekend. There were 3 options for Saturday night. Of the three, we chose to watch Five Nights at Freddy's. The movie wasn't particularly scary or good, but the options were few and far between. The other two options were Taylor Swift and a really old horror movie that I forgot the name of. We paid about 40 dollars for 2 seats. The chairs were made for outdoor seating. They were surprisingly more comfortable than I anticipated. There was a snack area that was manned by one person only so it was a bit of a wait. Overall, I enjoyed experiencing this once, but I prefer to watch my movies inside theaters. There were too many elements to account for and people weren't really as respectful as there were multiple loud conversations happening and kids running around and playing loudly.

Amazing spot to safely see movies in the still ongoing pandemic. Very helpful staff and relaxed vibe. Wheelchair accessible but note that it is a bit tough to get around when it gets dark because you have to cross cobblestone to get to the bathroom. Sound leaves something to be desired but to be expected in this setting. Views of Manhattan are immaculate.

Amazing view, great experiences, and the perfect date night spot. One of a kind. Will absolutely be frequenting this place once the weather is better :)

Bottom line--it seems like a bargain if you want to take 7 ppl for $55. However, if it's just two of you (and who wants to watch a movie from the backseat?) it's a lot of $. We went in March and it was freezing--so we left the car on the whole time because we absolutely needed the heat. However, there was at least one car that shut his off and then needed a boost because the battery was dead at the end of the movie (I bet that happens a lot). I'm sure this is kind of fun in the summer--they do have lounge chairs, but when it is freaking cold? I'll stick to the regular movies.

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