Movies: Flightplan

Nobody does "slightly crazy overprotective mother" quite like Jodie Foster. We saw it in 1991's "Little Man Tate," 2002's "Panic Room," and now "Flightplan," a film directed by Robert Schwentke. It concerns the mysterious disappearance of a little girl named Julia, who is the daughter of airplane engineer Kyle Pratt (played, of course, by Jodie Foster). The hitch? Julia disappeared aboard an airplane flying high over the Atlantic. Or did she?

The movie is paced pretty well and has a slick, cinematic feel to it that doesn't take very many risks. You've seen these airline setups in other movies before, but Pratt's knowledge of the plane does make it a little more entertaining as she tears the place apart looking for her daughter. Jodie Foster is pretty convincing here, but it's not really a role that requires heavy lifting.

The last third or so of the movie is fairly cheesy, as the final plot twist is a bit far-fetched and clumsily telegraphed to the viewer at various points in the movie. The plotholes and action start to bog the movie down (going from a thriller to a bad cat-and-mouse movie), so the director wisely chose to end things quickly. I can't see myself watching "Flightplan" again, but it might be worth paying attention to as an inflight movie or something.

Rating: 5/10