I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Despite the period detail and the wonderful detail regarding aircraft, this is one awful film. The acting is wooden, the plot ridiculous, and overall, the whole thing is a disaster. Enjoy the vintage airplanes, the stunts, and the period detail and try to ignore the rest. I saw this in the theater when it was first released and I remember at the time wondering, "What the hell was the point?" So ludicrous it was hard to stay in the theater at the time, the characters so shallow and silly that no one could accept them as anything but cardboard cutouts, the script one of this writer's worst, and this director's nadir, there is absolutely no reason to sit through this turkey. Except for the aircraft and the fact Frank Tallman did the flying. Try your best to pay no attention to the rest of the movie.

I remember 1975 well, I was living in the New Orleans area and my 4th child was born, a cute little daughter. That daughter is 38 now. And I remember this movie, by title only, but never saw it. For some reason the title didn't draw me in. Now, in 2013 I found it on Netflix and find it to be a very nice, very enjoyable movie.Being a guy I never identified with the "star power" of Robert Redford, but I know why many of the ladies did, he was a really good-looking guy in his 30s. But could he act? Well in fact he was a very good actor, and I witnessed that over the years in other movies.Here he is Waldo Pepper, the story starts in 1926 after WW1. He is a pilot, apparently a very good one, but had spent the war as an instructor and had missed the aerial battles. But he spoke of them, as if he had been there, as if he were the war hero. That comes to an abrupt halt when he encounters the hero he was talking about, Bo Svenson as Axel Olsson. Eventually they form a friendship and fly for one of those traveling aerial carnivals, doing stunts and giving rides.This was the time of transition, planes were getting more common and the government was stepping in, to regulate planes and pilots, to make sure there was a baseline safety factor. Waldo Pepper did not deal easily with those new regulations. The other key character is Bo Brundin as Ernst Kessler, the famous German fighter pilot of WW1. Everyone knew he was regarded as perhaps the best, while he also knew of Waldo Pepper, and knew he was one of the best. The climax of the story is when Ernst and Waldo are hired in a movie-filming job, they are to simulate an aerial battle. But the two rivals, once in the air, were determined to see who was best, and with dummy guns resorted to close passes and physical contact.The last few scenes pay off very well, first as the two men discuss the famous WW1 battle, and then the aerial battle of the biplanes. It was also nice seeing a young Susan Sarandon and a young Margot Kidder, a full 3 years before her famous role as Lois Lane in one of the Superman movies.All-in-all a fine example of a 1970s movie, and Redford was already at the top of his form.

*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 first saw this film in the theater almost 30 years ago and have caught it a few times on TV since. Finally, I was able to find a DVD copy on E-Bay (apparently it is not currently available on DVD through normal means) and I am glad I did so. This movie has stood the test of time. It is both fun to watch and has some depth to it - it is not just a piece of fluff. The casting is excellent - not a single actor is unfit for the part. Redford's looks and charisma, coupled with the fact that while he is still pretty young he does have a few visible age lines, make him perfect for the part of a debonair flyboy, ten years removed from World War I, who is stubbornly resisting the increasing regulation of flying as a profession. Bo Svensen is a great complement as the slightly older, more experienced, and more even-keeled Axel Olsson. Geoffrey Lewis' Newt Potts, Pepper's old squadron commander, represents the future that Pepper is trying to avoid. Ed Herrmann is the embodiment of the "seat of your pants" spirit of the early aircraft producers. Phil Bruns is a convincing "carnival barker" as Doc Dillhoeffer. And the Swedish actor Bo Brundin puts in a great turn as Ernst Kessler, German fighter ace turned barnstormer, who has long since realized that the bravery and chivalry he found in the air (both among comrades and opponents) is rarely found on the ground. Kessler is based on Ernst Udet, the second-highest scoring German ace of WWI. Udet barnstormed after the war, had a shortened version of "Lola" painted on his Fokker D-VII, and had a fight similar to the epic battle that is an important subplot in the movie. Thus it is a nice touch that Udet is shown in the opening photo montage. (It's also good that no sequel was made - I'd hate to see the Kessler character return to Germany, join Hitler's Luftwaffe and commit suicide.) This is also notable, on a personal level, as the first place I ever saw Susan Sarandon. I've been a fan ever since. Hell, she still looks great. The flying sequences are magnificent. There's no CGI here, folks. These are real aircraft - beautiful replicas of Curtiss Jennies, Standard E-4's, and of course the Sopwith Camel and Fokker Triplane (plus a few others) - doing real stunt flying. The talented stunt pilots are credited under the umbrella of Tallmantz Aviation, which I'm guessing was formed by legendary stunt pilots Frank Tallman and Paul Mantz. Tallman himself flew in this film (and died in a crash three years later; Mantz died making "Flight of the Phoenix," another of my favorite flight movies, in 1965.) And the climactic sequence, while it may seem unlikely to some, is actually based (perhaps loosely) on a similar incident that occurred during the filming of either "Hells' Angels" or "Wings" in the late 1920's. The only possible anachronism that I can spot is Kessler's stunt plane, which looks a little too advanced for 1928. But I could be wrong there. Beautiful aircraft, great flying sequences, fine acting, and even a real plot - what more could you want?