A ★★ review of Airport (1970)

Helen Hayes is a delight — effortlessly stealing every scene she’s in with perfect timing and a wry smile that knows exactly what movie this should have been. Outside of her? You’re left with a two-and-a-half-hour made-for-TV melodrama that accidentally birthed the disaster movie genre. Yes, the nighttime snowstorm sequences are technically impressive — especially for 1970 — and the lighting does solid work. But all of that sits on top of a script full of tonal whiplash, missed jokes, deadpan absurdity, and a cast that seems to think they’re performing Death of a Salesman at 30,000 feet. This is