Family Flight (1972)
A bitterly divided family is forced to cooperate when their holiday plane crash-lands in the California wilderness. Overcoming their differences, they concentrate on repairing the plane and attempt to build a makeshift runway which will help them escape the unforgiving terrain.
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The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.
Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.
Blistering performances.
This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.
This was one of the "made for TV" films, of which many were fairly banal, but there were a few gems like "The Night Stalker" (which has been released on DVD along with "Birds of Prey"), and this film which deserves a DVD release.A somewhat dysfunctional family (dad is a Super Type-A, mom drinks, the son feels alienated) heads south in their family single-engine aircraft for a vacation in Mexico. Enroute, engine problems and weather force a landing in the middle of a desert, forcing them to come together for survival. In working towards repairing the plane and returning to the sky, they work through their problems, but then dad - the only licensed pilot - is seriously injured, and the son - who has some flying time logged - has to save the group. The resolution is most gratifying and a thrill to any pilot (yes, you'll have to see it to find out what happens).Good performances, and a plot that includes some survival tips, no less, rate this film worthy of release. I assume the rights to this, and many of the other made-for-TV films, are in limbo which may make getting them released tricky, but with proper marketing a "Movie of the Week" box set would probably be successful.