Critic Reviews

Propeller One-Way Night Coach tells a simple story, but with such detail and nuance that we come away feeling that we really understand these people and their times.

“Propeller” is unfailingly sweet and never cloying.

All in all, Propeller One-Way Night Coach may be slightly more interesting from a meta perspective than a strictly cinematic one. Still, the sincerity that permeates every frame makes up for a lot of its shortcomings. It’s unlikely to cater to many people outside of Travolta’s most ardent fanbase, but even on those terms, it’s an enjoyable way to spend an hour in the sky.

If Propeller One-Way Night Coach lets you know anything genuine, it’s that Travolta, at an early age, looked around at his life and thought it was magical. That, in its way, is a gift, one that in movie after movie he has reflected back to his fans.

For all its paeans to flight (as well as a father’s celebration of his daughter’s big-screen possibilities), “Propeller” doesn’t soar, but it does reach a comfortable cruising altitude.

A sweet, odd diversion – more eccentric, maybe, than Travolta intended.

This not-quite-a-feature is basically harmless, a wallow in nostalgia so innocuous that it’s hard to begrudge its aviation-crazed creator with connections sufficient to indulge his whim.

This old-fashioned tale may not appeal to kids today. But it’s hard to be down on a film that gets up in the air and back down to land inside an hour, entertaining its audience with wit and whimsy.

A meta reading of “Propeller” is more interesting than the film itself, which is tragically hampered by a distinct lack of ambition and performances that never quite find the right tone. It’s a gift that Travolta made for himself and his family, something he likely wanted to leave as a part of his legacy. That doesn’t make it a good movie.

The sheer enthusiasm is at times infectious, and at other times you wish he’d worked with a forthright script editor. Still, it’s diverting to see an authentic and genuine oddity of a project.