Greatest Thanksgiving Day movie of all time!!!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

Directed by John Hughes

To pick my favorite Thanksgiving Day movie was a real easy task. For one there aren't too many movies that take place on this amazing holiday. The other reason is this is a fantastic movie with a great story and real heart, plus it is damn funny. 

The movie was written and directed the the late great John Hughes. He was a real master of dialogue and a master of how people interact with each other. He was known for mostly teen movies by the time he made Planes. He really wanted to branch out and make adult movies with adult themes and actors. For this movie he hit a home run with his casting choices.

Steve Martin plays Neal Page a very uptight ad exec who works in New York but lives in Chicago. All he wants to do is get home for Thanksgiving to be with his family. That's where the drama comes into the picture. See Neal chooses a flight home on the wrong day, nothing goes right and there is only one man who can help. 

Enter the late and GREAT John Candy who plays Dell Griffith, shower curtain sales man. In tradition of the Odd Couple Dell is a very brash and sloppy guy, but he comes with a big heart and wants to help Neal get home for the turkey day. Dell is a man alone since his wife died and is looking for his place in life.

These two roles are perfectly cast and acted by these two comic legends. Up in till this film these two guys were better known for their silly movies like The Jerk and Summer Rental. They are the main reason this film is on a lot of top 10 list for best film of the 80's.

After the flight to Chicago gets bumped to Wichita, Kansas, Dell decides to get a room and figure out how to get home in the morning. Neal can't find a room so he decides to bunk up with Dell, thus the start of  Murphy's law in full motion. For starters the room only has one bed which leads to one of the funniest moments in the film. I won't ruin it but it has to do with two pillows that may or may not be in the bed.

The boys survive the night and end up on a bus headed to Chicago, there is one snag though they have no  money so they can only go so far. Can Dell get Neal home in time for dinner? Will they become friends? All these questions and more can be answered if you watch this all time classic.

This film is full of some great one liners that I still use to this day. 

• "You're going the wrong way!"
• "Oh, he's drunk. How would he know where we're going"
• "Those aren't pillows!"
• "Six bucks and my right nut says we're not landing in Chicago"
• "If they told you wolverines would make good house pets, would you believe them?"
• "Well, I'm still a million bucks shy of bein' a millionaire"
• "You'll never make the six."
• "You just go with the flow. Like a twig on the shoulders of a mighty stream."

This is an old family favorite that is quoted like crazy around this time of year. Steve Martin said in an interview that this is his favorite of all the movies he has made. It's a shame that Hughes and Candy are gone they left us too soon. At least we have this classic to see how great they were.

 

This is a holiday classic along the lines of Miracle on 34th St. and A Christmas Carol. Have a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

 

10/10