Some months back, I saw the trailer for View from the Top and thought it looked pretty dreadful. My eyebrow also raised some that the splendid Gweneth Paltrow--Oscar winner for Shakespeare in Love--had found her way to yet another iffy comedy.

So, expecting little, I found that View from the Top was rather entertaining, but it never really takes off. Gweneth plays Donna, your average Hollywood backwoods girl. They all seem to live in trailers with trahy mothers and mean stepfathers and work at the local discount store. She has high hopes of marrying the boss and moving to a bigger discount store, but he has cooked us something with Betty from Barbeques.

Donna's sights turn skyward, and she gets a job with a very small airline. Her first flight is memorable to say the least, I love it when she runs down the aisle screaming, "we're going to die." Sounds corny, right? But in the moment, it has a certain charm.

From that auspicious beginning, Donna aims higher--she wants to be the best. She is accepted to training school with a big deal airline. Her instructor is John Whitney, Mike Myers with eyes that look in different directions. The role is classic Myers, and it's amusing without being really hilarious.

The rest of the film follows a simplistic, almost wholesome tone, as Donna follows her dreams. Along the way she has to evaluate what life is really about. It's quite schmaltzy really. I kept wondering if I should be looking deeper to really understand the underlying message. But no, I think this is a sweet little romantic comedy, referencing a simpler time.

After the short running time--it's only 1 hour and 27 minutes--there are some moderately amusing outtakes, many of which have nothing to do with the material we saw in the film. It looks like there was a whole lot more movie, which ended up on the cutting room floor, except for the bits salvaged for the outtakes. View from the Top is not outstanding in any way. It is e pleasant diversion and has very little to do with reality, which might have a certain appeal right about now.


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