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Directed By
John Hughes
Written By:
John Hughes
Cast:
Steve Martin, John Candy, Edie McClurg, Kevin Bacon, Michael McKean, William Windom, Laila Robins, Martin Ferrero, Charles Tyner, Dylan Baker, Ben Stein, Lyman Ward
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Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
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Movie Review by Jarrod
January 9th, 2008
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'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles' is a comedy with a heart, surprisingly poignant in the way it chooses to develop its central relationship, between the uptight snob Neal Page (Steve Martin), and the obnoxious, yet lovable, slob Del Griffith (John Candy) , who get stuck traveling together during a holiday trip from hell. Neal is trying to get back home to Chicago; he has been at a business meeting in New York. His cab is stolen by shower ring salesman Griffith, who goes everywhere carrying a large trunk. Neal then meets Del again at the airport, where every flight is either delayed or cancelled. He gets on a plane and ends up sitting next to Del. They land in Wichita because of the bad weather in Chicago, and Del offers to get Neal a room at a local motel, which does not quite live up to Neal's standards, and he has to share it with Del, which doesn't work out that well. However, they cannot get rid of one another, and their journey continues, as Del pledges to get Neal back to Chicago so he can spend Thanksgiving with his family.
Del likes to talk and tell stories; he is amicable and friendly, but also sad and lonely, for reasons that are revealed later, but he admits that he overdoes it and annoys people, like Neal, who, in one scene, berates Del, who is deeply hurt, and tries to maintain his self-confidence. There are certainly many funny moments, the best of which is the reason why the film is rated R, when Neal repeatedly uses the f-word to illustrate his frustration with a perky rental car agency employee (Edie McClurg), who follows his angry tirade with a succinct and brilliant response. Martin and Candy have great chemistry and play well off of each other. It is John Candy we care the most about; this is one of his best comic performances, and one of his most endearing; and I cannot help but think that is a reflection of how he regarded himself as an actor.
Neal's transformation into a better, kinder, more generous person is a bit predictable, but the sentimentality of the final segments is not cheap, but actually rather effective, though it has never moved me to tears. John Hughes was famous in the 80s for his iconic teen movies, but here he made one for adults, and a very good one at that. Not to say that adults cannot enjoy his other work; I am a fan of Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off but I do think 'Planes, Trains, and Automobiles' is funnier than all of them. He would later collaborate with Candy again in Uncle Buck.
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