Could Steve Martin, John Candy, and John Hughes have known that when Planes, Trains and Automobiles landed in 1987 that it would become the definitive Thanksgiving movie, as well as an all-around instant classic that covered far-reaching topics as straightforward as the importance of family, reaching out to those who are alone and in need as well as our collective varied definition of what to be thankful for each November?
Now that Planes, Trains and Automobiles is out on a special, limited edition Steelbook Blu-ray, it is a perfect chance to experience the film again and see first-hand why over the last four decades it has become such a beloved and treasured slice of cinematic history.
Martin is marketing exec Neal Page, who desperately cannot wait to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving from New York City and share those glorious familial days with his clan. Lucky him, his flight is cancelled, and he’s inadvertently thrown together with Del Griffith (Candy), a quite talkative shower curtain ring salesman as O’Hare in Chitown gets shut down and they find themselves stuck in Wichita, Kansas seeking any transportation means necessary for them both to get home for Turkey Day in Chicago.
Immediately, Neal does not particularly care for Del. He talks too much. He’s boisterous and clumsy to the point where his actions directly affect Neal throughout this journey. There is a bit of judging a book by its cover here, but there also is some real time that Del and Neal have spent together for the latter to develop an informed opinion about his travel mate. Let’s just say, he is counting down the minutes until he is in the beloved arms of his wife and children and away from the shower ring salesman.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is not simply a classic holiday film, but also works immensely as a fish out of water road trip movie. Martin and Candy make the movie. The pair are impeccable together and posses not only a comedic chemistry that pops off the screen, but a rapport that also plays as to why this film is still so beloved all these years later. Martin does the straight guy better than anyone, but also is true—the comic who use to perform onstage with an arrow through his head, can let loose better than anyone and just lose it in the most humorous of manners.
Candy could not have been a better foil to appear opposite Martin’s Neal. Candy’s Del is everything Neal is not. Somehow, these two are going to have to put aside their differences and realize that they are simply two souls making the most of a tough situation in order to get home for the holidays. If Del doesn’t seem as much of in a rush as Neal, we know why. As played by Candy, those reasonings stay close to the vest and make for a powerful reveal at just the right moment for the film and the relationship of these two characters within the narrative.
Hughes is at his best as a storyteller here. The filmmaker was best known for his teen-centric flicks at the time of Planes’ release, what with the blockbuster success of Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, and Pretty in Pink. With his 1987 entry, Hughes left the teen drama behind, but in a sense by doing so, he revealed why his high school-set films are such classics. He always created characters that dealt with genuine issues, not frivolous worries of teens, but concerns that we all share as humans. Therefore, when he makes the jump to the “adult” issues of family, holidays, and that work-home-life balance, it is as natural of a fit as they come… Hughes has been doing it all along.
The universal appeal of the story and the characters he created also showed that the storyteller was growing with his fanbase. Those who enjoyed Sixteen Candles in the theaters were ready for a story like Planes, Trains and Automobiles years later. It is always important for a filmmaker to grow with their audience. We saw that brilliantly with the darker, yet still approachable Frozen II when it arrived six years later after 2013’s Frozen.
Experiencing the Steelbook Blu-ray of Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one to treasure, but also one that comes with a whisper of sadness as both Hughes and Candy are no longer with us. But what a triumphant tribute to both men. This film finds both operating at their absolute best, collaboratively and creatively and it shows on every single frame of the film. In hindsight, it is impossible to think of anyone other than Candy playing the part of Del. Hughes keenly knew of the comedian’s work from their time on the set of Hughes’ Uncle Buck and The Great Outdoors.
Sadly, Candy would pass away in 1994 before he and Martin could reunite onscreen. So, all we are left with with this pairing of perfection is Planes, Trains and Automobiles. But what a film to serve as a tribute to what could have been with all these of these talents. The idea of seeing Candy, Hughes, and Martin reunite after the success of Planes is a pipe dream, but one we certainly can imagine, especially after making your way through their one perfect project that is Planes, Trains and Automobiles.
The limited-edition Blu-ray Steelbook contains over an hour of “legacy” bonus features, i.e., featurettes that were previously released.
Getting There Is Half The Fun – The Story of Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a fantastic and wildly enlightening, and entertaining 17-minute featurette. It finds the big three—Hughes Martin, and Candy—talking to the media about the story at the heart of the movie, the casting and the writing of Hughes and his uncanny ability to tell stories seemingly geared towards one audience that is in hindsight a narrative that speaks to all.
John Hughes – Life Moves Pretty Fast is the header for a section on the Steelbook Blu-ray that salutes the man behind a bevy of brilliance in the 80s. That moniker for this featurette stems directly from a line Hughes wrote for Ferris Bueller!
Dive in first to John Hughes – The Voice Of A Generation. The 28-minute featurette finds a who’s who of talent that has appeared in Hughes’ films waxing poetic about the filmmaker and what makes him so special. I appreciate how the accolades are broken down to talk about his gifts as a director and his talents as a writer and creator of these worlds that will live on forever in Hollywood history.
Heartbreak and Triumph – The Legacy of John Hughes is a 26-minute featurette that feels like a full-fledged documentary. This particular piece focuses on his actors and actresses, and it becomes clear almost immediately that they all adore him and treasure his creativity and ability to connect with actors and make them feel a part of the creative process.
John Hughes For Adults is a four-minute featurette that shines a light on Planes, and also, She’s Having a Baby, and other stories that are more mature than his teen-centric cinema that put his name on the map.
Lastly, don’t miss A Tribute To John Candy. Although a little too short, clocking in at three minutes, it is a nice salute to the comic actor from those who worked with him on Planes. One gets the sense of the great loss that is losing Candy from a talent perspective, but mostly, his massive heart is what appears to be most missed.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A-