Some movies stand the test of time because they’re considered classics that age like fine wine. They’re always amazing and you discover something new about them every time you watch. “Soul Plane” is not one of these movies.
The only reason we’re still talking about it 20 years later is because it’s legendarily bad. In case you’re one of the lucky people who has never seen the film, it stars Kevin Hart as Nashawn Wade, a disgruntled passenger who uses his $100 million settlement from the airline to start his own company that caters to Black passengers.
From there, things devolve into a chaotic mess of offensive stereotypes and lazy jokes. Before you come in here with your “it was 20 years ago” takes, simmer down. These tropes were just as offensive in 2004 as they are now.
The movie may have been meant to be a modern version of the classic 1980 comedy “Airplane!,” but it fails to show that it’s in on the joke. Instead, Black culture is mocked at every turn. The plane is made to look like a low-rider with spinning rims...and yes, it also bounces. The plane flies out of Malcolm X terminal.
Played by Mo’Nique and Loni Love, the TSA agents — who aren’t protecting anything — are named Jamiqua and Shaniece. There’s a strip club and casino on board. Sophia Vergara plays sexy flight attendant Blanca. And yes, Snoop Dogg plays the captain, who totally gets high and passes out shortly after take off.
Seriously, it’s like the writers were working off of a checklist of Black stereotypes. It’s all the issues from last year’s Oscar-winning film “American Fiction” come to life.
Maybe you think we’re being too hard on a piece of fluff that’s not supposed to be taken seriously, but it’s the idea that it plays into the worst assumptions about Black people that makes it so bad. It’s one of those movies that we wonder how it got made. Since it’s so notoriously bad, it continues to live on, which means all those offensive tropes and so-called jokes live on.
Shou tout to the star-studded cast featuring Hart; Snoop; Mo’Nique; Method Man; Terry Crews; D.L. Hughley; and the late John Witherspoon for getting those checks.
We’re not trying to ruin your fun. If you love “Soul Plane” and it’s one of your favorite guilty pleasures, more power to you. But if we’re discussing how we feel about the movie 20 years later? The answer is, it’s still not great.
“Soul Plane” is available to stream for free on Tubi, or you can rent or buy it on Prime Video, Google Play and Apple TV.