Another movie review coming your way now and this is another 1980s comedy film, Planes, trains, and automobiles, which has to rank as my favourite John Hughes film, and with that let's give it a look.
Right getting to it, the story begins with Neal Page (Steve Martin) a highly strung marketing executive, who is on a business trip in New York tries to get a flight back to Chicago so he can be home in time for Thanksgiving day with his wife and family. However getting home proves to be far from easy as for starts Neal tries to hail a cab on the busy Manhattan streets only to find another man (a cameo by Kevin Bacon) beats him to it. When Neal tries to get another cab, someone else jumps into it, leaving Neal angrily running after it. At the airport Neal ends meeting the man who took his cab, Del Griffith (John Candy) a genial, overly talkative shower curtain ring salesman. The two men also end sitting next to each other on the plane, but the flight is then diverted to Wichita due to a blizzard coming in over Chicago, which delays Neal even further from getting home. Del then suggests that they go to a hotel for the night and they manage to get a room, but they end up having to share the same bed, and during the night while they sleep, a thief breaks into their room and steals the money from their wallets.
Throughout the trip Neal oftens blows up at Del and accuses him of being boring as he talks too much, whereas Del accuses of him being cold hearted and cynical, but eventually the two men start to bond as they are forced to travel together. After having their money stolen, Del then uses his salesman skills to sell his inventory of shower curtain rings to the public, which puts enough money together for Neal to buy a ticket on a train back to Chicago. Neal however decides they should part ways although he is grateful for Del's help, but the train soon breaks down that they go on (in different carriages) and they end up having to disembark. Neal next goes to rent a car from a car rental company, but on arriving at the spot where his car is supposed to be, he finds it to be empty, leaving Neal outraged. Neal storms back to the rental company and angrily launches into a tirade at the woman behind the reception, but as he threw his rental agreement away there is nothing they can do for him. Neal next get's into an altercation with a cab driver who punches him, and Neal falls to the ground just as Del drives up in a car.
Neal and Del then travel together in the car, and have a near death experience as late at night, Del unwittingly drives down the opposing direction on a highway while they end up driving into the path of two trucks, in between them, leaving the car heavily scratched on both sides. The car also soon catches fire due to a cigarette Del unsuccesfully put out earlier, and Del reveals that he had actually taken Neal's credit card, which is now burning in the smoking remains of the car. They both then travel to a hotel with what little money they have, Neal get's a room for the night, and let's Del stay with him, as Del didn't have enough money. And from here the two men finally reach the train station where Neal and Del part their ways as their hectic journey nears its end.
For me Planes, trains, and automobiles was John Hughes best film, and it was welcome change from the teen films, as we had seen in his previous movies such as Weird sience, Breakfast club and Ferris Bueller's day off. Instead here Hughes finally get's into the adult world and tells a story of two unlikely men who are reluctantly forced to travel together at first but eventually develop a bond during their journey. And one of the asepcts of the film that works so well is how Hughes develops the characters, particulary Neal's as he starts off as being a cynical and rather closed off person, but as the film progresses he opens up and becomes more likeable. Del by contrast is a big hearted guy straight off and he is likeable but his big mouth does get him into trouble with Neal, and his bumbling nature causes some hilarious moments in the film.
And there are plenty of funny moments in the film such as when both men share the hotel room and the next morning they are asleep completely unaware of the fact they are snuggled up to one another in bed, with Del kissing Neal's half asleep, Neal asks "Del, why did you kiss my ear?". Del replies "why are you holding my hand?" and Neal says "where is your other hand?" and Del says "between two pillows" then Neal "THOSE AREN'T PILLOWS!!" and they both scream and jump out of the bed! Another funny scene is where the two men survive a near fatal car accident on the highway in their rental car, which catches fire, and Del confesses to having taken Neal's credit card, which is then burnt in the car, and Del asks "are you mad at me now?" and Neal punches Del and he goes to walk away but then falls over Del's big trunk! Also the scene where Neal goes to get the rental car and sees it is not in the car park space where it should be, he angrily makes his way back to the rental company at the airport and the agent asks how he can help him and Del replies "You can start by wiping that fucking dumb ass smile of your rosy fucking cheeks! And then you can give me a fucking automobile! A fucking Mustang, a fucking toyota, a fucking Buick! Four fucking wheels and a seat!" followed at the end by "I want a fucking car, right fucking now!". And the receptionists asks for his rental agreement to which Neal says he threw away, and receptionist says "oh boy!" then Neal says "oh boy what?!", the receptionist replies "you're fucked!". Another funny moment is where Neal and Del are picked up for a ride by a redneck named Owen (Dyaln Baker), who keeps spitting out and making strange gurgling noises during sentences. The redneck then asks his wife to get out the truck to help lift Del's big trunk and he says "she may look skinny, but she's strong! Her first child born, came out sideways!".
Which brings me onto the performances and the two leads are in particular are great, starting with Steven Martin, who for once plays the straight man in this film, as he plays Neal as an uptight, conservative guy who basically just wants to get back home with as little fuss as possible, but sure doesn't get it that way. One of Martin's highlights other than his verbal tirade at the car rental company is his scene where he berates Del during their stay at the motel. And Neal says to Del "I've been to seminars, that go on for days, which I can stand easier. And a guy next to me one day will turn to me and say "how do you stand it?" and I say "because I've been with Del Griffith, and I can take anything!". And Martin also succeeds in showing the change in Neal's character throughout the film from being cynical to being more personable and accepting of people. I also like the moment where Neal walks out of the airport to get a lift from the cab driver who laughs at him for not taking a flight and Neal says "If I wanted a laugh I would follow you into the john and watch you take a leak! Now are you gonna help or just stand their like a slab of meat with mittens!".
John Candy is also terrific as Del Griffith, the big hearted (and big!) but overly chatty, bumlbing salesman, who means well but often get's himself and Neal into trouble in their travels. Candy has plenty of funny moments, but he also shows that he was an excellent dramatic actor as well, particularly in the scene where he responds to Neal's verbal attack on Del's personality and he says to Neal "I could be a cold hearted cynic like you, but I don't like to hurt peoples feelings. But I like me, my wife likes me, people like me. So I'm not changing, I'm the genuine article. What you see is what you get!". Also at the end of the film when we learn the sad truth behind Del's life as a travelling salesman (PLOT SPOILER) and that his wife, which he fondly speaks of througout the film, died eight years ago.
Some of his other scenes are also priceless, especially in the scene where he nearly squishes Neal with his rental car, and the cab driver who punched Neal tells Del to get his car out of here, and Del says to him "What is your problem?! You insensitive asshole!". Another funny moment is where Del using salesman skills to sell his shower curtain rings and he flogs a few to some young girls and he says "these are great as earrings, and they will make you look at least 18!" and the girls automatically hand over their money! Also in the scene after the car their rental car caught fire, they leave the motel and are pulled over by a highway patrolman, who asks them what speed they were doing and Del "well that's what I was just saying to our friend here, that the speedometer has melted so I can't say to an exact number what speed we were doing. But the radio is still working!". Also the scene where Neal argues with Del about things that Del does to annoy him, and then Neal turns it back on him by saying "you play with you balls alot!" to which Neal denies, and Del says "Oh please, I've never seen one man do so much ball handling in my life!" and Neal angrily says "you know what I would like?" and Del says "An extra pair of balls and some fingers!".
In terms of the film's minor flaws, where it does slightly fall down is again in the film's music as it is filled with cheesy pop songs of the time and its dated sounded music score by Ira Newborn. Plus the inclusion of the funky cringeworthy track when Neal angrily walks back to the car rental place (with his tie wrapped around his head no less!) and Neal's voice dubbed over it saying "messin with the wrong guy!". But these are small niggles I have to say.
So that's it for my look at Planes, trains and automobiles which is a very entertaining and charming comedy film, which saw John Hughes pretty much at his best, and if you want a good laugh its well worth watching.
And I shall bid you farewellie right there.
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