Pushing Tin (1999)

There's quite a few negative reviews here and it is quite interesting to see the different opinions and things that people got out of the film. For me I really enjoyed it - it really portrayed the life of an ATC really well and all the intricacies and detail was cool to see - the Director obviously tried to introduce us to the stress, fast-paced world of an ATC and the sort of pressures they are put through. It is enjoyable to watch Cusack's energy - if not a little stressful. Billy Bob Thornton has a cool swagger and devilish charm that draws you in and is great as a stark opposite to that of Cusack's character.The reason I enjoyed this film was for the portrayal of the unique roles of ATC's and the human element of Cusack's evolution in his character as he realized that his lifestyle was terribly unhealthy. The two characters, in the end, learnt much from one another's differences.

Nick Falzone (John Cusack) is a hot shot air traffic controller at the New York TRACON. It's a high pressure environment. Russell Bell (Billy Bob Thornton) is the cool threatening veteran controller who joins the crew. He has an unstable past. Nick finds himself competing against Russell in every aspect. Nick is supposedly happily married to his wife Connie (Cate Blanchett) with a couple of kids but he ends up cheating with Russell's hot young wife Mary (Angelina Jolie).It's a nice inside look at a high pressure but little seen part of the world. It has its darker tones but it's not really a dark comedy. It seems to need some more wacky off-centered characters. It needs some broader humor and some more interesting style. Thornton is good as the slightly crazy menace. The cast is generally a good bunch. The movie just needs a sharper bite.

Saw this as I was in the mood for a comedy. It was a rainy day and I needed to be uplifted. Wrong move. For me, this was a heavy handed drama with workplace humor. When you are dealing with a job as stressful as air traffic controllers, these jokes can be funny. In context, to many on the outside world they are also sick and sad at the same time.The plot is more a device to move the character of Nick "No Fly" Falzone through the movie. Billy Bob Thornton's character Russell Bell is never fully developed, making him two dimensional.In no way is his character equal to Nick, no matter how the movie poster and ads portray him.To get an idea of how "funny" this movie is, within the first ten minutes we have Mrs. Falzone (Cate Blanchett) being asked by her husband "You're happy, aren't you Connie?". Half an hour into it we see the controllers getting "liquored up" at a bar-b-que while the wives discuss dealing with the grinding jaws of their husbands.By the time Russell and Nick are requesting more planes, and Russell gets the 747 you can see where this movie is going. Yeap, Russell is going to move Nick outside of his comfortable place in life.This film doesn't tie itself in a pretty little bow. If you are looking for that, I recommend another film. If you are in the mood to see a tiny slice of the life of an aircraft controller, you might want to try Pushing Tin.

I was listening to Stephen and Sam from AllMovieTalk.com on their podcast the other day and they were listing their top 6 plane movies. Stephen mentioned this film and, while it is not entirely about planes, it is about air traffic controllers.John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton are controllers. Cusack is the top dog, and Thornton is the new guy. They don't really get along, and things really get out of control when Cusack sleeps with Thornton's wife - Angelina Jolie.This is my third encounter with Miss Jolie today. It is her birthday, so I was recalling my favorite Jolie film (The Bone Collector) which came out the same year as this film. It was also the year for Girl, Interrupted, by the way. Anyway, I went to the mailbox this afternoon and there was this month's Esquire with Angelina on the cover, and now I see her her looking a fine as ever. It has been a Jolie day! And who is Cusack cheating on with Angelina? Why, it's Cate Blanchett. Ah, the grass is always greener...Director Mike Newell (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Donnie Brasco, Four Weddings and a Funeral) did a good job, but most of the credit for the movie goes to Cusack, who did a great job as someone dealing with a life going out of control.By the way, it is NOT a comedy. I heard it was billed as one, but it is more about what happens when you always try to be top dog and forget what is important in life.It was a GOOD Angelina day.