If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

*Spoiler/plot- The Great Waldo Pepper, 1975. Follows the life post WW1 of a pilot trying to get work barnstorming and in the film business. He meets up with other aviators and has many adventures in the USA.*Special Stars- Robert Redford, Bo Svenson, Bo Brundin, Susan Sarandon, Margot Kidder, Geoffrey Lewis, Edward Herrmann.*Theme- Aviation is a heady career.*Trivia/location/goofs- This film is based on some real-life early 'barn-stormers'. The location for the WW1 filming set was an alfalfa farm right off the road that leads from the town of Piru Ca to the nearby lake of that name. Wing walking was done by the lead actors without safety equipment. Some camera shadows are seen during the wing walking.*Emotion- A throughly great and entertaining film on all levels. It could be another classic favorite film from the director, George Roy Hill. The casting and plot keep the viewer interested and the pacing of the film is enjoyable. A top notch feature film about interesting characters and adventures.

I love this picture for many reasons. I don't know why it isn't available on DVD. It reminds me of my childhood dreams of becoming a military pilot and the joys (and terrors) of flying. As a teen-age in the mid-1930's I saw Ernst Udet drag the Oakland Airport with his swept-wing bi-plane inverted and pick a handkerchief off the runway with his wing tip. And about 8 years earlier, when I was about 6, I lived in Rio Vista on the Sacramento River mid-way between Sacramento and San Francisco, when a mail plane crashed in a grain field just outside of town. I ran out with a crowd of town folks and other kids. By the time we got to the plane it was burning fiercely with the pilot trapped in the cockpit and no way the men in the crowd could have rescued him. Everyone was grim-faced and silent, except for one smart alec who said he wished he'd brought his knife and fork because the burning pilot smelled good. I have often wondered if this gruesome event inspired The Great Waldo Pepper's scene where Waldo's friend crashes and burns. But I expect this was a common occurrence.

Being a Big Robert Redford fan for years, I have seen this movie numerous times and just got the DVD of it. It makes you stop and think of the chances these young took back in the dirty 1930's to fly these machines. My dad use to tell us about how these small towns (he was from Nebraska too, just like the movie)had these air shows. One time he saw a dare devil, like the one in the movie, crash and burn to death in from of hundreds of people. They just don't make movies like the one Redford did, any more! I have a fear of heights and every time I saw that girl on the wings standing there, my heart will drop and my palms get sweaty!

This is a well shot film (the light in the Prarie scenes are beautiful) about why people love flying and how it gets into their bones to the point where they will take great risks with their lives as well as other people's!Redford looks heroic and every bit the Ladies Man especially in uniform. The aerial sequences are terrific with some really risky stunts and shots. Made in 1975, there are no CGI effects - everything is real and raw.I felt the film to be a little slow at times but it's a film for grown ups so we can take that speed, can't we? Scott A. Frisina's review on the main page is as good a synopsis as anyone can give - that's how it is - read it then see this excellent film.