On a Wing and a Prayer 2023 Movie Review

ON A WING AND A PRAYER tells the inspiring true story of Doug White and his miraculous flying of a plane when the pilot dies. Due to the day being Easter Sunday, the air traffic controllers on duty have little to no flight experience. However, God orchestrates the lives of several different people to help Doug and his wife fly the plane. When it comes time to land, high winds and a storm appear to make that impossible. Doug and his family must rely on the power of prayer and God’s faithfulness for a miracle.

ON A WING AND A PRAYER has a strong Christian, moral, wholesome worldview, with powerful scenes of prayer. Doug and his family consistently pray to God for safety and in gratitude as they think landing the plane is impossible. Despite everything going wrong, their faith helps them overcome their fear in this miraculous true story. ON A WING AND A PRAYER has some intense action, a few light obscenities and a scene where an air traffic controller gets drunk. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children.

ON A WING AND A PRAYER is a new movie starring Dennis Quaid about the true story of Doug White, a father and husband with no flight experience who’s forced to fly a private plane with his family on board when the pilot dies.

The movie opens with Doug and his family travel from Louisiana to Florida for his brother’s funeral. Doug, who spends his weekends winning BBQ competitions, has his faith shaken because all the men he looked up to in his life are now gone.

Despite his loss, his wife (played by Heather Graham) supports him and encourages him to lean on God in his time of grief. Doug, his wife and their two daughters decide to take a private flight home with a friend because they’re leaving Florida on Easter Sunday and other flights are full. Doug joins the pilot, Joe Cabuk, in the front seat for the flight home.

However, their short flight home soon turns into chaos when Cabuk suffers a heart attack and dies. Doug panics but calls the nearest Air Traffic Control to get help. Due to it being Easter Sunday, all experienced pilots aren’t working. One air traffic controller thinks it’s impossible for Doug to safely land the plane.

The family pray for a miracle, but bad turns to worse when a storm hits, and they are unable to land. A flight instructor with hours of experience hears news of the emergency from his home in Connecticut and calls one of his friends, who happens to be an air traffic controller. Through a cell phone call, Air Traffic Control is able to relay messages to Doug as he tries to keep the plane in the air. However, when the air traffic controller’s cell phone dies, Doug and his family can only pray to God for a miracle.

ON A WING AND A PRAYER is an intense movie throughout. It tells an inspiring story of faith, prayer and God’s sovereignty as He uses dire circumstances and flawed people to keep Doug White and his family safe. There are several powerful scenes of prayer in the movie, and God is glorified. At times the CGI lacks polish, but the movie’s inspiring and uplifting message about family, prayer and God’s faithfulness is one that discerning moviegoers won’t want to miss. ON A WING AND A PRAYER has some intense action, a few light obscenities and a scene where an air traffic controller gets drunk at a bar. So, MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for younger children.

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