What he really wanted was to spend Thanksgiving with his family. What he got was three days with the turkey.
Overview
An irritable marketing executive, Neal Page, is heading home to Chicago for Thanksgiving when a number of delays force him to travel with a well meaning but overbearing shower curtain ring salesman, Del Griffith.
Ratings
Curator score: 6.9/10
IMDb: 7.6/10
Letterboxd: 3.77/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
Metacritic: 72
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
John Hughes
Production
Paramount Pictures, Hughes Entertainment
Cast
Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins, Michael McKean, Dylan Baker, Kevin Bacon, Olivia Burnette, Carol Bruce, Diana Douglas, Martin Ferrero, Larry Hankin, Richard Herd, Susan Kellermann, Matthew Lawrence, Edie McClurg, Susan Isaacs, John Randolph Jones, Ben Stein, Lyman Ward, George Petrie
Curator Review
Verdict
A sharp, heartfelt road comedy that turns travel misery into one of the great odd-couple movies. It’s funny in big bursts, but what lingers is the warmth, sadness, and genuine affection between two very different men.
Best for
fans of character-driven comedies
viewers who like holiday movies with real emotion
people who enjoy mismatched-buddy chemistry
audiences looking for a classic 1980s studio comedy
Skip if
you want nonstop jokes without sentiment
you dislike broad physical comedy and profanity
you prefer modern pacing over episodic road-trip structure
Overview
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is one of the rare comedies that keeps getting funnier because it keeps getting kinder. The setup is simple and almost cruel: a tightly wound businessman is trapped with a relentlessly chatty salesman on a Thanksgiving trip from hell. But the movie keeps finding new shades in that mismatch, letting irritation, embarrassment, and loneliness build into something unexpectedly moving.
Worth noting
Steve Martin plays exasperation like a symphony, while John Candy gives Del a huge, open-hearted presence that never feels merely cute. The film’s best scenes are comic set pieces, but the reason they land is that Hughes understands how humiliating travel can be and how quickly strangers can become necessary companions. It’s a messy, human movie in the best way.
Bottom line
What makes it endure is the balance: the jokes are hard-edged, the emotions are sincere, and the ending earns its warmth. It’s a Thanksgiving staple for a reason, but it also works as a reminder that great studio comedy can be both abrasive and deeply compassionate.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Rachel Rhodes (5★) · 3140 likes
That shot of John Candy as the devil 👨🍳💋
Den_of_geeks (3.5★) · 2769 likes
I love how they contained every single f bomb to one scene lol
DirkH (5★) · 2325 likes
I really hate this film.....
BECAUSE EVERY TIME I SEE IT, IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY AND THEN I WANT TO DANCE, BOOGIE WOOGIE, DO SOMERSAULTS AND BACKFLIPS, POP AND LOCK AND EVEN A TWIRL AND A FAME JUMP OR TWO BUT I CAN'T BECAUSE I'M BUILT LIKE AN ELEPHANT AND HAVE THE MOTOR SKILLS OF A PREGNANT HIPPO!!!!
And I really, really miss John Candy....
vi (3.5★) · 1899 likes
"what do you think the temperature is?"
"one."
oleff (4.5★) · 1389 likes
“where’s your other hand”
“in between two pillows”
“oh. okay :)”
1996 · Comedy, Romance · 1h 59m · R · Curator 7.8/10 (359.1K ratings) · Where to watch: Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Peacock Premium Plus
For its fast, character-based comedy and the way it finds warmth inside social awkwardness.
2004 · Comedy, Drama · 2h 8m · PG-13 · Curator 4.8/10 (1.2M ratings) · Where to watch: fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, MGM Plus
If you like stories about travel becoming an emotional ordeal, this offers a gentler, more wistful version of that premise.