Top Gun (1985, Tom Cruise, Kelly McGillis, Val Kilmer): SPOILER Episode 53

“You don't have time to think up there. If you think, you're dead.”

This week we’re watching Tony Scott’s action drama ‘Top Gun’ and, while the whole team is in agreement that Tom Cruise is a classic movie star, not everyone thinks this is a classic movie. Surprisingly, it's Andy who enjoyed it the most, leaving Rachael and Paul agog at his enthusiasm. Rachael recalls her old headmaster’s love of the film, while Paul relates his bizarre experience at a Tom Cruise lookalike competition. Rachael is shocked at just how cheesy and sweaty ‘Top Gun’ is, while Andy sets aside his appreciation of the film to examine the significant shortcomings of the script, which he feels contains one of the most offensive lines in 80s cinema. The whole team wince at Maverick’s obnoxious toilet-invading persistence and a steamy scene of stomach-turning snogging, before debating the relative merits of Val Kilmer. Paul shares his phobia of hot air balloons and everybody gets the giggles at the mere mention of the word “bogeys”. And the team discuss their hopes and reservations about the upcoming sequel ‘Maverick’.

Elsewhere, Andy takes a look at the relationship between cinema and flight, from the airborne derring-do of ‘Wings’ to the famous flying bicycles of ‘E.T.’

This week’s scale: Top Gun or Bottom Burp