Rated PG-13 for violence and some intense plot material
Directed by Robert Schwentke
Starring Jodie Foster, Sean Bean, and Peter Sarsgaard
Someone messed with the wrong mom!
Flying at 40,000 feet in a cavernous, state-of-the-art 474 aircraft, Kyle Pratt (Jodie Foster) faces every mother’s worst nightmare when her six-year-old daughter, Julia, vanishes without a trace mid-flight from Berlin to New York. But Kyle isn’t going to sit around a wait for help. She takes matters into her own hands against all opposition when no else believes her. She is a woman who, when it comes to her children, “doesn’t care about anyone else and will take anyone else down who’s in her path,” Foster says.
Flightplan grabbed me from the very beginning. It will take you on a suspense filled ride that keeps you guessing and doesn’t “land” until the very end.
Flightplan’s director Rober Schwentke commented, “Foster would do anything for her children. I think that’s why she was able to tap into this at such a primal level.”
Foster told USA TODAY about a time visiting an amusement park with her young son, Charlie. When she let go of Charlie’s hand for just a second he disappeared into a crowd of strangers. Panic struck. “I could see him through this sea of people—turning around in circles, crying and yelling, ‘Mommy, mommy, mommy,’ but I couldn’t get to him because there were all these people in front of me,” Foster remembers. “I was a terrible, heart-pounding feeling of anxiety.” (USA Today, September 23, 2005)
In that terrifying moment, Foster identified with her character Kyle Pratt in this new thriller.
Foster’s character is enjoyable to watch because despite the odds, she keeps fighting. And the film gives you little victories throughout to help you last the whole flight.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen Foster take the gloves off. She’s proved herself in numerous “die hard” female roles. But Foster always brings something fresh to every character. This wasn’t just another glimpse of Clarice Starling or a scared mom fleeing to the panic room. This role brings a new balance of emotional vulnerability mixed with perseverance.
For frequent film viewers, the story is very original and unique. I guess if you had to compare it to another film, it has elements of Forgotten, with Julianne Moore. But Flightplan is so much more.
It’s a hero film. Kyle Pratt was a hero, fighting against unbeatable odds. And she delivers. My comment walking out of the theatre was, “Dang, I guess that’s what you’d hope your own mom would do!”
SHOULD KIDS SEE IT:
I didn’t find anything objectionable about the film. I’m surprised with the PG-13 rating. (Who is the slobbering drunk that gives out these ratings anyway! They are so inconsistent!) Home Alone has more violence and language than this film! And there’s absolutely no sexual content in the film.
The only thing to consider is that the film is very suspenseful. It probably isn’t for younger children.
Conversation Starter
Three Simple Questions (with Answers You May Be Looking for):
- What are some of the messages or themes you observed in this movie?
- How do you suppose we—as serious Christ-followers—should react to this movie?
- How can we move from healthy, Bible-based opinions about this movie to actually living out those opinions?
