Planes, Trains and Automobiles: The Perfect Thanksgiving Movie

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Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Movies centering around Halloween and Christmas are commonplace; movies centered around Thanksgiving, on the other hand, are a rarity. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a comedy by beloved director John Hughes who's always had a penchant for delicately combining sincerely sentimental with outrageously funny, and this film is no exception. Steve Martin plays the role of the uptight office worker who's just trying to make it home on time for Thanksgiving, and John Candy is the unlikely friend who joins him along for the ride. John Candy masters the role of the obnoxious sweetheart, who's blissfully unaware of just how painfully annoying he can be, while Steve Martin is the perfect opposing irritable travel companion. Their chemistry is undeniable, and the comedic timing in this film is hysterical.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles also succeeds in a way which many comedies fall flat. It is genuine in its emotional scenes, albeit a little dated when the cheesy 1980s synth begins to fade in during more emotional sequences, but nonetheless sincere and manages to balance cautiously between realistic moving sequences and accidentally slipping into the realm of a speech from a concerned parent on a sitcom (eg. Full House).

John Hughes is a director who has mastered the art of festive films, and he manages to make the positive feelings of Thanksgiving transfer to the screen. Admittedly, Thanksgiving isn't always a favorite holiday, typically bringing together unhappy relatives who may fall victim to bickering over the turkey about politics rather than enjoying the time they can spend together, but despite that reality there is no cynicism apparent in Planes, Trains and Automobiles. In fact, the movie's sequences of anger are humorous rather than striking too close to home during this holiday season, as Steve Martin provides hilarious outbursts of rage in response to delayed flights, missed taxi cabs, cars exploding, and John Candy's gift of telling stories with absolutely no point.

This film presents Thanksgiving as what it is meant to be, or at least, what it should be. It's not a time for family to gather and fight about politics, it's a time to be with the people you care about, whether or not they're related to you. It's a time to reach out to others and share food and good conversation.

There are few, if any, Thanksgiving movies, but Planes, Trains and Automobiles stands above the rest of them; not proudly with its chest puffed out, but humbly as it offers a funny little heartwarming story of two unlikely friends just trying to make it home on time for the holidays. If you and your family are looking for something to watch this holiday, I highly recommend this movie.

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