Planes, Trains And Automobiles

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.