# Flight with Denzel Washington **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 27, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248 "2012-12-27T03:44:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/41 "2013-02-17T01:49:32Z")
> [@friedo](#): > > I don’t know what movie you were watching, but I don’t think it was the one being discussed here. > > 1. He’s _not_ in AA. The only time he goes to a meeting is with the girl who’s trying to get sober, and he leaves after five minutes. > > 2. Eh. Plot happens. > > 3. It’s not a trial, it’s a regulatory hearing. She can ask whatever she wants. 1. Yeah I know but why is SHE in AA and not NA? 2. Plot ma happen but when it is so contrived it loses me. 3. I’m sure there are limits on what she can ask or what he has to answer. I just didn’t like the that it was a 120 minute commercial for AA. What can I say? ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/42 "2013-02-17T02:44:02Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I just didn’t like the that it was a 120 minute commercial for AA. What can I say? Yikes! You _really_ thought that movie could play as a commercial for AA??? “Fly American Airlines. Our planes will fall apart mid-air, but our drunken pilots will turn the plane upside down to save most of you.” I keed, I keed! ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/43 "2013-02-17T02:57:08Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > One, AA is a cult with no more of a success rate (14%) than waking up and saying “Ya know, I don’t think I’ll drink anymore.” > > Two, I wanted to see a movie, not 2 hours of how AA and Jebus will save your life. > > Three, I can suspend disbelief somewhat but it’s crappy writing when: > The drug addict is in AA not NA. > The door to the room next door is accidently ajar. > The attorney lets Steenburgen ask half those questions at the hearing that had nothing to do with the crash and at best are speculative. 1. It can have cult-like aspects. It’s not a cult by any accepted sociological or psychological definition. I don’t dispute the success rate, but I’m sure you’ve heard the argument that the success of 12-step programs is difficult to quantify. 2. If you think this movie was a commercial for AA and Jesus, then I think you obviously have some unresolved issues with AA and Jesus. Recovery programs don’t even figure into the damn thing until at least halfway through. 3. Lots of drug addicts go to AA along with or even rather than NA, especially in areas that might not have a lot or even any NA meetings. Like, say, a rural area where one might be staying at a farm. 4. I’ve had adjoining room doors left unlocked and ajar at least three times in a fairly limited experience of hotel rooms. I was more taken outside of the suspension of disbelief by the (low) open window in the hotel room. I thought we were about to see an aborted suicide attempt. 5. It wasn’t a trial. She could ask whatever the hell she wanted. It actually seemed to me that she was asking leading questions in order to exonerate Whip and pin the loose ends of evidence on the dead flight attendant (and thus tie up her investigation neatly and not blame a pilot for error based on his intoxication when it didn’t figure into the crash). That being said, I don’t think it was a great movie. It was, however, a fantastic performance by Denzel Washington. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/44 "2013-02-17T04:20:50Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Hated it. It was a 2 hours ad for Alcoholics Anonymous. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I wanted to see a movie, not 2 hours of how AA and Jebus will save your life. > [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > I just didn’t like the that it was a 120 minute commercial for AA. You obviously feel strongly about this. I am curious: How did Whip benefit from AA? mmm ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/45 "2013-02-18T00:26:18Z")
I don’t think it was about AA in particular. It was about how some people are so damaged, they have to hit rock bottom before getting help. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/46 "2013-02-18T01:44:28Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > So if anyone has seen it, are the flying scenes remotely realistic, or will pilots be laughing at this movie? My partner and I are both pilots and watched this last night. We were both chuckling at the inaccuracies in the flying scenes and I wondered out loud if junkies watching the movie roll their eyes at the drug scenes. I did like the movie though, despite the inaccuracies. It was actually the climactic scene that stretched my suspension of disbelief the most. I could overlook the captain jumping into the flightdeck, having a quick suck of oxygen, introducing himself to the first officer, then declaring they were ready to push-back without having any kind of preparation/briefings at all. I could also overlook the piss poor turbulence penetration technique used just after take off as I figured they were trying to establish the character as an unorthodox yet talented pilot. The crash itself was not as completely implausible as I thought it would be. What I found really hard to believe was the final question posed to the captain at the hearing. I was expecting him to refuse to answer on the basis that it is not for him to voice opinions about what other crew members may or may not have done during the flight, but no. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/47 "2013-02-18T10:38:10Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > I am curious: How did Whip benefit from AA? He got sober, he got to see his son again, and claimed that, despite being in prison, for the first time in his life he felt free. Watched this film last night - it’s still at the cinema here. Very good film, extremely unflinching in it’s portrayal of substance abuse. More so than I was comfortable with, having given up alcohol just over a year ago, and I actually felt slightly shaky and sick coming out. I’m glad I saw it, but I won’t be watching it again. There was probably too much emphasis on AA being a miracle cure (and not, as has already been pointed out, no better than doing it alone\*, and with some aspects that I consider significant downsides), but in this film it seemed more like a convenient shorthand than propaganda. Overall, brilliant acting, a pretty good plot, and some epic nudity. It asks questions about the nature of God, personal responsibility, and substance abuse, and doesn’t spoon feed you answers. You see the answers the particular characters come up with, but I never felt that I was expected to agree with them. ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2013, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/48 "2013-02-18T10:40:19Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > My partner and I are both pilots and watched this last night. We were both chuckling at the inaccuracies in the flying scenes and I wondered out loud if junkies watching the movie roll their eyes at the drug scenes. I can’t speak for the drug scenes, but I can speak for the alcohol scenes, and no, they were pretty realistic. I’d imagine there’s far more people in Hollywood with expertise in drug and alcohol use/abuse than flying anyway 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/49 "2013-02-20T06:29:40Z")
I just watched it. I think I would have been happier with a “conspiracy against the black pilot” movie than an alcoholism one. Washington acted well but the whole thing was too heavy handed. A question, though. The blood test after the crash read 0.24%. Suppose it was actually accurate, even though the lawyer got it thrown out. Wouldn’t that level of alcohol be almost totally incapacitating, even for an alcoholic? The movie shows a few hints at motor impairment, like stumbling on the stairs going in, but for the most part he functions normally. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/50 "2013-02-20T08:10:03Z")
Cocaine fixes everything apparently. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/51 "2013-02-20T08:30:47Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Cocaine fixes everything apparently. That was by far my favorite scene in the movie. I absolutely _love_ when Don Cheadle won’t hand over the money directly. Oooh! First Post on Page 2! I get a puppy! ---
**Author:** ![Steophan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steophan/32/9595_2.png) [@Steophan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steophan)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/52 "2013-02-20T11:17:40Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > A question, though. The blood test after the crash read 0.24%. Suppose it was actually accurate, even though the lawyer got it thrown out. Wouldn’t that level of alcohol be almost totally incapacitating, even for an alcoholic? The movie shows a few hints at motor impairment, like stumbling on the stairs going in, but for the most part he functions normally. What’s that, a bottle of spirits over a couple of hours? No, it wouldn’t necessarily be - especially if one had taken stimulants as well. It would certainly fuck you up, and I’m sceptical one could fly a plane in that situation, but it would certainly be possible to walk and talk. Some alcoholics would be more incapacitated by having a BAC of 0. ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/53 "2013-02-20T17:20:10Z")
I think my problem with this film is that the intense plane crash and everything which followed seemed like two completely different movies. And they didn’t mesh well. I agree that the ending was heavy-handed, and John Goodman was basically a cartoon. Nothing very memorable about it besides the plane crash. ---
**Author:** ![lisacurl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/41988e/32.png) [@lisacurl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisacurl)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/54 "2013-02-20T19:25:54Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > A question, though. The blood test after the crash read 0.24%. Suppose it was actually accurate, even though the lawyer got it thrown out. Wouldn’t that level of alcohol be almost totally incapacitating, even for an alcoholic? The movie shows a few hints at motor impairment, like stumbling on the stairs going in, but for the most part he functions normally. An average person would have severe impairment at that level but a long-term alcoholic, especially a large man, might not. I’ve known a few alcoholics who blew higher than 0.4 in a DWI. ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/55 "2013-02-20T21:11:13Z")
I saw an ad for this film, but figured it was just the airplane version of denzel saving the train as he did in his recent “Unstoppable”. ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/56 "2013-02-20T21:13:29Z")
I saw an ad for this film, but figured it was just the airplane version of denzel saving the train as he did in his recent “Unstoppable”. Oh, as to “Wouldn’t that level of alcohol [0.24] be almost totally incapacitating, even for an alcoholic?” plainly you know no alcoholics. ---
**Author:** ![Ostrya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/35a633/32.png) [@Ostrya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ostrya)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 9:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/57 "2013-02-20T21:39:56Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > I don’t think it was about AA in particular. It was about how some people are so damaged, they have to hit rock bottom before getting help. My take on it was that regarding Washington’s role character, seemed that investigator had him cornered - so that either he had to take responsibility for the booze bottle empties (discovered in wreckage), else his coworker/friend would posthumously take the blame. He could not have it go down that way, had no choice to come clean in honor of her memory. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/58 "2013-02-20T22:10:47Z")
I watched this the other night. I thought Washington’s performance was good. I didn’t like John Goodman’s character, it was way too over the top. The AA stuff was disappointing but not surprising. Almost all movies/TV programs perpetuate the myth of AA/12-step programs as an effective treatment for alcoholism, so I was expecting it. I would say it was not bad, probably worth the $1.27 rental, but a bit heavy-handed in parts. ---
**Author:** ![FrankJBN](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@FrankJBN](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FrankJBN)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/59 "2013-02-20T22:22:42Z")
" perpetuate the myth of AA/12-step programs as an effective treatment for alcoholism" I’ve known several people it/they have been quite successful for. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248/60 "2013-02-20T22:52:47Z")
> [@the lone cashew](#): > > My take on it was that regarding Washington’s role character, seemed that investigator had him cornered - so that either he had to take responsibility for the booze bottle empties (discovered in wreckage), else his coworker/friend would posthumously take the blame. He could not have it go down that way, had no choice to come clean in honor of her memory. Yes - the investigator knew about the blood test (which the lawyer magically had excluded.) So the only way to “get” Denzel was to corner him into blaming the dead flight attendant, and hope that we would not allow her to take the fall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-with-denzel-washington/645248.md?page=4)