Comedies honoring Thanksgiving are few and far between; in fact that goes for all of film, there just aren’t many that put Thanksgiving at the center, and that makes Planes, Trains & Automobiles a rare animal. To sweeten the pot it has Steve Martin and John Candy in their heyday under the guidance of the nostalgia king of film, John Hughes. The elements mix together to create one of the greatest comedies of the 1980s and one of the best films in the filmographies of Martin, Candy, and Hughes. A precious few films retain their appeal so well for so long, and it’s even harder for comedies whose effectiveness depends, at least in part, on the audience not expecting the comical outcome. That we can still laugh uproariously as Steve Martin grates under the friendship of John Candy speaks volumes to the very basic but resilient nature of Planes, Trains & Automobiles.
What starts as a brief run-in between stern businessman Neal Page (Martin) and affable salesman Del Griffith (John Candy) in an airport, escalates into a protracted series of interactions in their quest to get home for Thanksgiving. For Del, having a travel partner, even a begrudging one, is a welcome distraction from the delays and obstacles that fall into his path, but for Neal it’s essentially the roadtrip from hell.
The truly impressive thing about Planes, Trains & Automobiles is how John Hughes’s script and direction and Steve Martin’s performance don’t make us immediately hate Neal even as his reaction to Del’s overbearing friendship comes across as oddly hostile. A certain amount of that stems from the fact that Candy pulls off playing the lovable guy that you just have to hate for being so optimistic, but most of it comes from the very calculated steps taken to make Neal a sympathetic asshole. We know he’s stressed out about getting home for the holiday and it’s very clear that he’s of the New York mentality of letting everyone else alone, but that unto itself doesn’t make him a character to root for. Which is why the story has Neal and Del playing a game of back and forth: when the audience loses sympathy for Neal for overreacting to a small point, the story has Del reveal a previously undisclosed factoid or do something stupid that actually would warrant such a harsh reprisal. That emotional tightrope walk keeps the audience from ever siding with either character, lest the comedy devolves into cruelty, and it keeps that precarious balance all the way through. The fact that it manages to be hilarious as it goes along is a testament to the greatness of everyone involved.
As comedy performances go, Planes, Trains & Automobiles is something of an opus on the part of Martin and Candy. Both are at the top of their game here and for all the awkward moments there are twice as many deep hearty laughs to be had and it has plenty of merit for multiple viewings.
The Blu-ray transfer doesn’t do much for the film’s appearance but the extras and the main feature make it a worthwhile purchase if you haven’t already bought it on DVD.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
This particular release was dubbed the “Those Aren’t Pillows” Edition and it was released almost exactly two years ago and then again last year (but with a hologram cover). The Blu-ray edition is a direct port of the DVD version to the new format with one notable addition. All of the same great extras are here, including the Hughes, Candy, and Martin roundtable as they discuss the film, and a bittersweet tribute to John Candy (how could a tribute to a brilliant comedian taken before his time not be bittersweet?). The real prize in the extras is a huge multi-part featurette about John Hughes and his work that defined 80’s teen film, and then another discussing his transition to films about adults. A good but forgettable deleted scene is also included and a decent closer for the disc.
"Planes, Trains & Automobiles" is on sale September 27, 2011 and is rated R. Comedy. Written and directed by John Hughes. Starring John Candy, Steve Martin.
