Taking Off poster & wallpaper
Get movie widget Recommend it Add to Favorites

Lynn Carlin, Buck Henry, Linnea Heacock, Georgia Engel, Tony Harvey ... see more see more... , Audra Lindley , Rae Allen , Nancy Bell , Paul Benedict , Philip Bruns , Corinna Cristobal , Barry del Rae , Allen Garfield , David Gittler , Jessica Harper , Mary Mitchell , Tina Turner , Ultra Violet , Vincent Schiavelli , Carly Simon , Ike Turner , Jack Hausman , Bobo Bates

Czech filmmaker Milos Forman's first American production stars Linnea Heacock as Jeannie Tyne, a runaway teenager. While she wanders aimlessly around New York, her suburban parents, Lynn (Lynn Carlin)... read more read more... and Larry (Buck Henry), desperately search for their "missing" daughter. Larry and his best friend, Tony (Tony Harvey), inaugurate a search, but their expedition is sidetracked by a drinking binge at a local bar. Meanwhile, Lynn and Tony's wife, Margot (Georgia Engel), begin discussing their sex lives. Jeannie does finally return home, to constant questioning by her parents about which drugs she has taken; later, after Lynn and Larry join a support group for the parents of runaway children, they turn around and get stoned on marijuana themselves during one of the group meetings, then lapse into a randy game of strip poker -- little realizing that their daughter is close at hand and within earshot. As a critically revered lampoon of late-'60s sensibilities, Taking Off is full of "unknown" Manhattan-based performers who became famous during the '70s and '80s, including Paul Benedict, Vincent Schiavelli, Allen Garfield, Audra Lindley, and, in fleeting roles as auditioning singers, Carly Simon, who performs "Long Time Physical Effects," and Kathy Bates (billed as Bobo Bates), who performs "Even the Horses Had Wings." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Flixster Users

83% liked it

524 ratings

Critics

100% liked it

7 critics

R, 1 hr. 32 min.

Directed by: Milos Forman

Release Date: May 17, 1971

Invite friends to see

Stats: 49 reviews

report incorrect info

Photos

Taking Off
Upload a Photo | View All Taking Off Photos

Your Rating


clear rating

Flixster Reviews (49)

  • rubystevens
    April 3, 2011
    rubystevens
    really funny time capsule of the 70's. can be seen here

    http://megavideo.com/?v=62MLXWUG
  • tsigur
    February 21, 2008
    tsigur
    This is a little gem from Forman's early days. I enjoyed it, although it gets a little long at times. It's good to see Lynn Carlin, too.
  • smootysveen
    July 1, 2009
    smootysveen
    A lot of really fun scenes, but never amounts to much more than that.
  • codyfranklin2
    February 21, 2008
    codyfranklin2
    Very original and could only be made in the 70's.It has a Maysles Brothers feel mixed with Formans everyman charaters. I thought the story was a little weak and not sure if it would get better with repeted viewing.
  • jackamaku
    February 15, 2008
    jackamaku
    Great "lost" film by Milos Forman. This was his first American film but it still had the feel of his Czech New Wave films. Very funny movie.
  • brownrecluse62
    January 11, 2009
    brownrecluse62
    A little hidden gem from the early 70s, this was Milos Forman's first American film. Lynn Carlin and Buck Henry are two uptight parents who learn to loosen up after their daughter runs away. The comic timing is great in this droll adventure through the counterculture, punctuated ... read moreby singers (including Carly Simon and a young Kathy Bates) who lend a sense of freshness and honesty to the experience. Highlights include the girl sweetly singing the 'fuck' song while playing the lute, and the hilarious scene in which Vincent Schiavelli teaches the fashionable society crowd how to smoke a joint. Overall, with its humor, music, and spirit, the film impeccably captures the time period. It should be seen on a triple bill with Hair and Swedish Fly Girls.

View All Taking Off Reviews

Critic Reviews

Vincent Canby
June 18, 2008
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Mr. Forman's specialty is tender farce played out in what are, essentially, very bleak circumstances. Full Review

Dave Kehr
June 18, 2008
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

An engaging, episodic, wonderfully fair-minded satire about runaway children and anxious adults. Full Review

Vadim Rizov
June 18, 2008
Vadim Rizov, Village Voice

It remains his [Milos Forman's] best film in and about America. Full Review

June 18, 2008
Film4

Forman's first American film is an idiosyncratic and original take on the generation gap. Full Review

June 18, 2008
TV Guide's Movie Guide

At the time of its release, critics welcomed the Czech-born Forman's skewed perspective on a transitional period of American culture, but today the film, like so much else from the late 60s and early ... Full Review

David Fear
June 18, 2008
David Fear, Time Out New York

Forman's career pivot point between Prague's film-school halls and the Oscars podium is still a prime example of the way a foreign director can apply an outsider's perspective to something like Nixon'... Full Review

March 26, 2009
Variety

Click to read the article Full Review

David Fear
November 17, 2011
David Fear, Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

October 18, 2008
Time Out

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Cast

More Like This

Click a thumb to vote on that suggestion, or add your own suggestions.

  • Cea mai fericita fata din lume (The Happiest Girl in the World)
    Cea mai fericita fata din lume (The Happiest ... (0%)

More Movies like Taking Off

Facts

No facts approved yet. Be the first

Taking Off : Watch Free on TV

Taking Off Trivia

  • In Passenger 57, John Cutter was reading a book prior to the aircraft taking off. It was also a book that he later starred in the movie version of, what is it?  Answer »
  • Tom Selleck hit it big with 'Magnum, P.I.', before taking off for the big screen. What was his first starring movie role after 'Magnum'?  Answer »
  • It starts off outside and church, moves to a creepy mansion in the pouring rain, an experiment is taking place to create a perfect man, and is owned by Aliens. Name the film?  Answer »
  • In Ferris Bueller's Day Off, who played the teacher who punctuated his monotonous lectures with the phrase, "Anyone? Anyone?" and repeatedly and vainly called out the name "Bueller" while taking attendance?  Answer »
More Taking Off Trivia

Movie Quizzes

No quizzes for Taking Off. Want to create one?

Video Clips

Upload a Video |

All Taking Off Videos

Meet Other Fans

Add Taking Off to favorites

Recent News

No recent headlines. Got one?

Recent Lists

Make a List |

View All Lists

Most Popular Skin

No skins yet. Interested in creating one?