Despite starring Dennis Quaid and Heather Graham, Prime Video’s straight-to-streaming, faith-based biographical disaster drama On a Wing and a Prayer was far from a critical darling. However, it did garner a more favourable audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite the audience reception, this Sean McNamara-directed movie still misses the mark at certain moments, which is a pity, given its otherwise incredible 2009 true story of Doug White, a civilian passenger who miraculously landed the Super King turboprop plane with his family onboard.
With the growing interest in faith based movies and an all star cast, the movie had all the tools needed to make an impact. Unfortunately, On a Wing and a Prayer was a missed opportunity which never reached its full potential. So, what exactly went wrong?
1. The Story Takes Too Long to Take Flight
A movie that is based on a true event would normally dive headfirst into establishing the character(s) and his/her personal drama before proceeding to the core of the narrative. On a Wing and a Prayer follows a similar pattern except the first 30 minutes of the movie begins with an awkwardly-misplaced comedy bit between Quaid’s Doug White and his brother played by Brett Rice. Then, the movie is off to a long-winded BBQ cook-off sequence and later, a funeral and subsequent grieving moment straight out of Hallmark channel.
2. The Padded-Out Subplot Revolving Around Raina Grey’s Donna
The movie had several subplots but the one with Donna (Raina Grey) could have been better implemented. Grey plays a pre-teen character with an ambition of becoming a pilot one day. Upon learning about the mid-air plane problem, the movie then spends time spoon-feeding her curious friend, and indirectly the viewers, the situation in layman’s terms related to aviation lingo. This, in turn, dilutes the intensity of the main storyline. It also demonstrates the director’s lack of trust in the audience to understand the situation and follow the story.
3. On a Wing and a Prayer’s Dated Special Effects Weakened the Movie
On A Wing And A Prayer reportedly cost around $18-$24 million to make and such a modest budget led to unfortunately cheap-looking visual effects. With the industry wide advancements in CGI and special effects, the flying plane was not up to par with the expectations of the audience. What’s more, the obvious digital fakery takes away the sense of believability and tension that Sean McNamara intended to inject into his movie. This ultimately alleviates the urgency of the situation the characters find themselves in, as the dated special effects strips the movie of its sense of danger.
4. Overused Split Screens Dilutes the Suspense
Sean McNamara tries his best to maximize the tension by using split screens. Split screens can be effective if done right. Brian De Palma is a notable example of directors who tend to use spilt screens effectively as seen in Sisters and Femme Fatale. However, in the case of On a Wing and a Prayer, McNamara goes as far as repeating the split screens not once but twice in a scene of the plane releasing the landing gear. The split screens serve no purpose to the overall story and fail to demonstrate the necessity of its use. Instead, this ends up being visually distracting than eliciting suspense.
5. Dennis Quaid’s Thick Southern Accent Was Distracting in On a Wing and a Prayer
Dennis Quaid’s acting career spans over 40 years and he has given several impressive performances as seen in Great Balls Of Fire! and The Rookie, just to name a few. Unfortunately, On a Wing and a Prayer cannot be ranked among his best performances to date. His thick Southern accent is nearly indecipherable and muddles his dialogue. The English subtitles on Prime Video certainly help but it doesn’t overcome the fact that Quaid has seen better days.
On a Wing and a Prayer had an enigmatic story tell; chronicling Doug White’s story of having to fly a plane after the pilot suddenly dies mid-flight would have made for an exciting story. However, the movie misuses its cast, over relies on dated effects, and fails to take advantage of the growing interest in faith-based movies. While critics called out the movie’s cliché and indulgent themes, several audience members found it moving and inspiring; this points to the fact that On a Wing and a Prayer would not have been a missed opportunity if it had addressed the issues listed above.
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