There's only one thing more stressful than being an air traffic controller, and that's viewing a movie about it. Pushing Tin, an edgy look at the mid-life crises of two air traffic controllers, stars John Cusack and Billy Bob Thornton as rivals at work and in their personal lives.

Cusack, so watchable in films like Con Air and The Grifters, is especially painful to follow in this unusual movie. All his quivering nerve ends seem exposed as Nick Falzone, a cocky, manic control freak who boasts to his boss, "They’ll have to make more planes to keep me interested." Nick claims to line up airplanes "like the Rockettes." He even takes over a waitress’ job in one scene, yelling at the cook, "Move it! People are hungry here." When his wife urges him to get some sleep after a long shift, he tells her, "Sleep is boring."

No matter how good a person is at their job, there’s always someone better. Nick learns this universal lesson from newcomer Russell Baker (Thornton), his exact opposite in temperament but more than his equal at pushing tin (landing planes safely). Thornton plays Russell with stunning style and grace. It’s hard to believe this is the same actor who made the mentally challenged character in Sling Blade so convincing. Part Choctaw Indian, part Irish, Russell is the strong, silent type -- but he’s a little crazy too. He wears a lucky feather while working and once stood beneath a 747 during its take-off just to see what it felt like.

These two powerful men become involved in a ridiculous contest of one-upmanship endangering their careers and their marriages. Cate Blanchett and Angelina Jolie deliver first-rate performances as the frequently neglected wives. Australian actress Blanchett, Oscar nominee for Elizabeth, proves her impressive acting skill again. Adopting a perfect Long Island accent and showing a charming comic flair, she almost steals the show. Jolie, Golden Globe winner for Gia, looks sexy and gorgeous, as usual.

Based on a 1996 New York Times Sunday Magazine article about the challenges facing air traffic controllers, Pushing Tin should increase understanding of an occupation usually ignored in films. For example, did you know that 7,000 planes a day must be dealt with by the air traffic facility in Long Island? Or that an air traffic controller is responsible for more lives in one day than a surgeon is during an entire lifetime? Unfortunately, not every scene of the controllers at work rings true. When Nick and Russell attack each other physically while pilots are depending on them for instructions, the movie loses some of its credibility.

Moviegoers who suffer from fear of flying will not be cured by watching Pushing Tin. In fact, they may become more frightened by those frantic control room scenes. Nevertheless, this uneven comedy should serve as a kind of shock therapy, reminding everyone who sees it to handle both success and failure in a more humanistic way.

(Rated R for strong language and sexuality, this Fox 2000 - Regency release was directed by Mike Newell of Four Weddings and A Funeral fame.)