disappointment media
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About

ON A WING AND A PRAYER -- A Good Story and Great Editing Carry This Film Home

4/6/2023

0 Comments

 
Review by Dan Skip Allen
Picture
I don't watch the news anymore, but when I did, I was always interested in human interest stories like the one featured in On a Wing and a Prayer. I'd see people on talk shows like Ellen or Oprah and be amazed by their stories. Inevitably, these true stories would be made into a movie or television series like this one was. It's just the nature of the beast. This one was one I hadn't heard about, but glad I got to see the movie based on it.

Doug White (Dennis Quaid) is a family man who has hobbies or interests like anybody else. One of them is flying and the other is barbecuing. He even wins BBQ contests with the help of his wife's special sauce. He's close with his family and brother. When a tragedy happens, he and his family have to fly to Florida for the funeral. While flying back home, the pilot goes unconscious, and Doug has to fly the airplane. 

As I said, you hear about these stories on the news or on a talk show, but you don't actually know what goes into them entirely. This story has a lot of moving pieces, and that's what makes it all the more interesting. Multiple people from different states and cities are involved in helping this man with this type of plane which he has never flown before in his life. All these moving parts make the story more dramatic and interesting.

There are a few elements in this movie that hit home for me. One of them is the daughters who are coming into their own as young women, and the other is the Christian angle. These aspects of the film were interesting, because they were reasons why this man had to survive. His wife wanted him to believe in Christianity, and he wanted to save his family. There was a reason for all this.
Picture
Dennis Quaid has played many different kinds of characters in his long and storied career. He's played coaches and fathers galore in his lifetime. His father figure in this movie was one I envied, because he had such a good life. The main event in the film is a way for us as viewers to see who this man really is as a parent, husband, and brother. How he handles himself is pretty cool, not including what he did under pressure. 

When you have a film with an establishing event like this, you have to make it realistic. There were many scenes of the plane from the outside and other scenes from the cockpit. The editing of these scenes was pretty good. Throw in the back and forth between the various other locations and characters, and you have a well-edited film. This means a lot in the context of what the director Sean McNamara was trying to accomplish with this movie.

On a Wing and a Prayer is a great title, and the film that goes along with that title is pretty good as well. Dennis Quaid gives a good performance, but the story and editing are the real winners here. This story was very interesting, and I'm glad I had a chance to see this movie. The editing made it all come together in a way that made it emotional and a real world type situation. I hope people give this a shot this weekend.

On a Wing and a Prayer streams on Prime Video beginning April 7.

Rating: 3.5/5
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019

    Authors

    All
    Adam Donato
    Alan French
    Allison Brown
    Borja Izuzquiz
    Camden Ferrell
    Cole Groth
    Daniel Lima
    Dan Skip Allen
    Erin M. Brady
    Jonathan Berk
    Joseph Fayed
    Josh Batchelder
    Paris Jade
    Rafael Motamayor
    Sarah Williams
    Sean Boelman
    Tatiana Miranda

disappointment media

Dedicated to unique and diverse perspectives on cinema!
  • Home
  • Reviews
  • Interviews
  • The Snake Hole
  • About