Sightlines · reception
How Mayday was received
2026 · Jonathan Goldstein · Mayday on Sightlines
Did you know? Directors Daley and Goldstein have said the film began as an idea for a comedic riff on Misery — a downed American pilot stuck in the care of an obsessive host — before it evolved into a Cold War buddy comedy.
Named by the director
- Midnight Run (1988) — The directors cited it as a model for the mismatched-pair, on-the-run buddy dynamic.
- Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) — Named by the directors as a touchstone for the odd-couple road-movie comedy they were channeling.
- Misery (1990) — The directors said the project's seed was a comedic version of Misery's captive-guest premise.