Non-stop is non-stop, goofy fun for Liam Neeson fans

Movie Title:   Non-Stop

PG-13, 1 hour 50 minutes

Grade:   B

In a Nutshell:   First of all, that’s a great title for an action movie on an airplane flight.  Second, who doesn’t love Liam Neeson?  They even featured his butt-kicking awesomeness in the opening sketch of Saturday Night Live this week.  Sit down, put your tray tables in the locked position and enjoy the flight.  Liam Neeson’s character is a crusty alcoholic with a heart of gold, making his movies their own classic genre.

This goofy suspense thriller takes place at 40,000 feet in the air on a transatlantic flight from New York to London.  Liam Neeson plays a U.S. Air Marshal who saves the snakes on a plane…er…um…cells on a plane….or the universe…or something like that.  Sure, the plot is implausible, but it’s always fun to watch Liam use his “special set of skills.”  Suspend your disbelief.  It’s no Taken , but it’s still a fun ride.

Uplifting theme:  Spend the extra money on First Class tickets when you’re going on a really long flight.  Ha ha

Things I liked:

• It was fun to see Downtown Abbey’s rich girl, Michelle Dockery, serving others as a flight attendant. 
• I love the First Class seats on that plane that lie WAY back, instead of ¾ of an inch like they do in coach.  Plus, they had a cool night-light for reading.
• I like small details, such as when Bill Marks’ texts got autocorrected as he typed messages. 
• I really need to learn how to set a stopwatch on my cell phone and/or actual watch.

Things I didn’t like:

• As new characters are introduced in the story, everyone looks suspicious.  Of course, there’s really no way getting around that in this kind of movie, now is there?
• Sometimes I worry that scenes in movies give people bad ideas, like when the Federal Air Marshall tapes up the vents in the bathroom so he can smoke a cigarette.  Does that really work?

Funny lines:

• “Did you just call me Ma’am?”  - Jen Summers
• “Sorry about the nose.”  - Bill Marks    “It was never my best feature.”  Agent Marenick
• “Next time give me a loaded weapon.”  Agent Marenick    “Next time don’t get shot.”  Bill Marks

Great pickup line response:  “Where ya headed?”   “Depends.”   (Bill Marks to Jen Summers)

Things to look for:

• He gets a phone call in the beginning of the movie with a 555 number.  Have you noticed that all phone numbers shown in movies begin with 555?

Tips for parents:  Julianne Moore is the one with the potty-mouth in the film.  Some profanity, fighting, sexual innuendos, and a frisky couple on the plane.