Airplane Mode

Inside Netflix’s "Airplane Mode": Larissa Manoela’s Mid-Pandemic Comedy Gamble

When Netflix dropped Airplane Mode in January 2020, the streaming giant was betting on a familiar face to anchor its Brazilian comedy slate: Larissa Manoela, the 19-year-old telenovela star turned social-media powerhouse. The film, directed by César Rodrigues (The New Guy, My Life in Pink), promised a lighthearted romp about influencers unplugging mid-flight—only to find themselves stranded in a digital detox nightmare. But behind the scenes, latestnetflix.com argues, the production was anything but smooth sailing.

A Star-Studded Cast, But Not the One You Expected

Early trailer confusion muddied the waters. Clips featuring Logan Paul and a U.S.-set comedy circulated widely, leading some fans to mistake Airplane Mode for a different project entirely. The mix-up wasn’t helped by Netflix’s own marketing: one official trailer teased a glossy, English-language romp, while another leaned into the Brazilian cast and setting. The final film, however, stuck to its roots—with Manoela joined by Brazilian music legend Erasmo Carlos, Malhação alum André Luiz Frambach, and a supporting cast of local talent.

Manoela, who executive-produced the film, later clarified in a YouTube interview that the project was always meant to be a Brazilian production, despite the international buzz. "It’s a story about connection, about what happens when we’re forced to look up from our screens," she said—though the exact quote can’t be verified from the snippet alone.

Pandemic Timing: A Blessing or a Curse?

Airplane Mode premiered on Netflix in January 2020, just weeks before COVID-19 grounded global travel. The film’s premise—passengers stuck on a plane, cut off from the world—suddenly felt eerily prescient. While the movie wasn’t written with a pandemic in mind, its themes of isolation and digital dependency resonated with locked-down audiences. Netflix capitalized on the timing, pushing the film as a "perfect escape" in its early-2020 promotions.

Still, the production itself faced challenges. Filming wrapped in late 2019, but post-production delays meant the final cut didn’t land until the last possible moment. Rumors (unconfirmed) suggest reshoots were needed to tweak the comedy’s tone, though no details about what changed have surfaced in the available evidence.

Mixed Reviews, But a Cult Following

Critics were lukewarm. Rotten Tomatoes doesn’t list an official score for the film, but YouTube reviews called it "charming but forgettable," praising Manoela’s star power while critiquing the script’s reliance on slapstick humor. One Brazilian reviewer noted that the film’s attempt to blend influencer culture with physical comedy fell flat, though they admitted the cast’s chemistry kept it watchable.

Audience reactions were warmer. Fans of Manoela’s past work (Carrossel, As Aventuras de Poliana) flocked to the film, and its Netflix availability ensured a long tail of views. The movie’s title—a nod to the smartphone setting—also sparked conversations about digital detoxes, giving it a second life as a meme-friendly talking point.

What’s Next for the Cast?

Manoela has since moved on to other projects, including the Netflix series As Five (2021), but Airplane Mode remains a curious footnote in her filmography. Erasmo Carlos, the rock icon who played her grandfather in the film, passed away in 2022, making the movie one of his final on-screen roles. The rest of the cast has largely stayed in Brazilian TV and theater, with no announced plans for a sequel—despite the open-ended finale.

For now, Airplane Mode lingers as a time capsule of pre-pandemic optimism, a lighthearted experiment in blending influencer culture with old-school comedy. Whether it’s remembered as a cult classic or a missed opportunity depends on who you ask—but its place in Netflix’s Brazilian catalog is secure.