If a good laugh is what you need this Thanksgiving, then all you need is a copy
of the popular movie ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’. A renowned American
comedy, this movie has been written and directed by John Hughes. Starring in the
movie is the popular American actor and comedian, Steve Martin. Apart from him,
the star cast includes John Candy, Laila Robins, Michael McKean, Kevin Bacon,
Dylan Baker, Olivia Burnette, Larry Hankin, Richard Herd, Matthew Lawrence and
Bill Erwin. This was the second movie in which Steve Martin and John Candy were
paired together, which was greeted with enormous critical applause. The ‘adult’
comedy became one of the most highly regarded films of the decade. In fact, in
the year 2000, readers of the magazine ‘Total Film’ rated the movie as one of
the 10th greatest comedy films of all time.
Released on the 25th November 1987, ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ was
centered on a gross budget of $15 million, with a phenomenal financial outcome
of $150,000,000. Most of the scenes in the movie were shot in and around the
city of Illinois, in America, like Braidwood and Kankakee. However, for the snow
scenes, the crew opted for the place called ‘Buffalo’. The music in the movie is
basically a concoction of country music, pop and rock and roll. Among the tracks
featured in the movie, the tunes ‘Red River Valley’, ‘Back In Baby’s Arms’ and
‘Three Coins In The Fountain’ are worth mentioning. In fact, these tunes give a
new dimension to the film. Let us explore the story and summary of this movie,
in detail.
Plot
The character played by Steve Martin is that of an advertising executive named
Neal Page, who is very fidgety and is a bundle of nerves almost all the time.
John Candy, on the other hand, plays the role of an innocent, but accident prone
Del Griffith (Director of Sales, American Light and Fixture, Shower Curtain Ring
Division), a shower curtain ring salesman. The living standards and rules
governing the life of these two characters widely differ from each other.
The movie rolls with Neal Page trying to return back to his family in Chicago,
for the Thanksgiving, after attending a business trip in New York. However, his
journey is doomed from the beginning, with Del Griffith unintentionally and
accidently interfering, by snatching the cab that Mr. Page has hailed for
himself. Later on, the twosome come together and begins an absurd error-prone
venture, to help Page get back home. Due to a blizzard in Chicago, their flight,
which was supposed to reach O’Hare from LaGuardia Airport, is diverted to
Wichita.
Neal and Del try, in despair, for any available means of transport (including a
train and a rental car) to reach home, but none of them works. The mere 1 hour
45 minutes journey turns out to be a three-day adventure of havoc and chaos. To
add to their woes, an unidentified thief steals a total sum of $1000 from them,
on their first night in Wichita. Del’s carelessness and recklessness becomes a
constant source of misfortune for them. Because of this, Page constantly blows
up on him and keeps on blaming him for the uncalled disasters. Finally, after a
long and crazy journey, the two manage to reach home for the festive
Thanksgiving dinner.
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