After a long and terrible year, America is getting ready for Thanksgiving. Due to the timeliness of it, I thought now would be a great time to watch the hilarious classic Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. I hadn’t seen Planes, Trains, and Automobiles until recently, so I thought I would give my thoughts on why it is probably the funniest film based around the holiday of Thanksgiving. I say this because there aren’t that many movies based around this holiday. Also the dynamic duo of the hilariously funny Steve Martin and legendary John Candy had us laughing throughout.

The plot for this movie is set around Neal Page (Steve Martin) who is trying to go home after a business trip in order to spend Thanksgiving with his family. His goal is to travel from New York to Chicago in order to get home. He soon meets Del Griffith, a shower-curtain salesman who annoys and gives him grief, thereby making his journey even longer. This makes Neal wonder if he will ever make it back in time to see his family.

John Candy does a great job in this movie, and I enjoyed the way he and Steve Martin interacted with each other throughout the movie. There are multiple scenes that really make you feel sorry for Steve Martin, with John Candy doing annoying and disgusting stuff. As the story goes on, this dynamic does switch from John Candy playing an annoying idiot to becoming someone we can really empathize with. 

There are also tons of visual and slapstick gags set up throughout the film with some jokes being exaggerated. Some jokes are maybe dated or cheap, but there are so many funny moments to be seen. This is especially the case as we slowly watch Steve Martin’s character lose his mind while putting up with John Candy’s actions. We see a lot of moments that really let us relate to Neal. These moments usually make us laugh, cringe, or do something in between.

I think John Hughes really captures the chaos of trying to travel in the holiday season. The film really captures just how manic and exhausting it can be. Somehow, he also manages to represent what the whole point of Thanksgiving is meant to be, by the end of the film. I really feel like John Hughes says in this film that your life may be bad, but there is always someone else who is going through a worse time than you. That in itself is ultimately a reason to be thankful.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles really is what most road trip movies of today aspire to be. What seems to be a simple journey turns into a nightmare full of ups and downs. However, it is also full of funny and cringe worthy moments. So if you’re exhausted from eating too much food, then why not watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles?  Whether it is the first, second or fiftieth time of viewing it, you will likely always find enjoyment in it. I highly recommend watching it, even if you’re not American and don’t celebrate the holiday.

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Planes, Trains and Automobiles

9

Score

9.0/10

Pros

• Hilariously funny throughout
• Great and enjoyable story.
• Very relatable a certain parts.

Cons

• Some Jokes and moments are kind of dated
• Not suitable for a younger audience due to swearing