Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

"Are you crazy?"

"Not yet. But I'm getting there."

It's two days before Thanksgiving and Neal Page (Martin) is anxious to get home.  He is stuck in a boring meeting at work in New York, with the minutes ticking down until his flight back to Chicago.  He gets to the flight just in time, but the flight is delayed.  During the wait, he begins chatting with a fellow traveler Del Griffith (Candy), who stole his taxi.  Neal and Del are seated together on the plane.  The plane is grounded in Wichita due to a blizzard in Chicago.

With no other option, they decide to team up to find a place to spend the night.  With all of the flights booked, can they find a way to get to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving?


Prior to today I had seen a few scenes from this film, but somehow I never watched the entire film.  I didn't even though it was about Thanksgiving (my guess was Christmas).  Anyway, since Thanksgiving is in a few days, I decided it was time to officially watch this film.

This film was written and directed by John Hughes, his fifth time as a director.  He was responsible for some of the most popular films of the 1980s.  He would go on to write and produce 2 popular Christmas films: Christmas Vacation and Home Alone.

The casting is perfect here, and the film revolves around these characters, with only a few other characters appearing in multiple scenes.  John Candy, who would collaborate with Hughes many more times, is great here... alternating between endearing and irritating.  Steve Martin does well with uptight characters, managing to skate the line between grating and funny.  Together they are excellent.

Check it out this Thanksgiving (instant streaming on Netflix) when you think your travel or family are too much.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) 93 minutes
Rating: R
Director: John Hughes
Starring: Steve Martin as Neal Page
John Candy as Del Griffith
Laila Robins as Susan Page
Olivia Burnette as Marti Page
Matthew Lawrence as Little Neal Page
Susan Isaacs as Marie