cricketbat
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is, without a doubt, the best odd-couple cross-country-trip Thanksgiving-themed movie around. Steve Martin and John Candy work very well as a comedic duo and they help create a story that is both hilariously ridiculous and heartwarmingly touching. This is a must-see film.
Evan Wessman (CinematicInceptions)
This movie is in large part a I think a major reason that road-trip comedies aren't really a thing anymore. Now, that probably makes it sound like I'm going to trash this movie in the rest of the review. But really when you have a road trip comedy as good as this one, it's pretty much impossible to top it, especially because this is a self-professed road trip movie without any extra fluff or additional elements. I sincerely hope that nobody tries to re-make this movie, because this is very much a sort of movie that would get re-booted in the current marketplace. Unrelated to this movie, I'm going to go on a brief discourse/rant about reboots, so you may want to skip this paragraph. If you're going to re-boot a movie, re-boot a bad movie that had potential to be good. If you re-boot a good movie, chances are you're only going to make it as good as the original, it's not going to be better. Karate Kid was a solid movie, it deserved to stand as its own thing. Same with some of these Disney animated classics that are getting live-action re-boots. The originals are good. In many cases movies like Ocean's Eleven and 3:10 to Yuma and even the 1980's Scarface are better as re-boot because the originals weren't fabulous and/or they waited a good long time to re-boot them. So please, don't re-boot a movie like this or like Groundhog Day. Do it with something that could've been much better like 21 or Cloud Atlas or even the Hunt for Red October. Sorry not sorry about that.There are aspects of this movie that feel dated, contrived, and somewhat predictable, but all of these flaws are pretty forgivable I think. Considering the standards that comedies are usually held to, I'd say this does much better than most. It's true that we know intuitively that John Candy and Steve Martin are not actually parting ways the couple of times they do, just like we know that one mode of transportation or another will not get them all the way to Chicago. However, John Hughes' comedy writing coupled with some great performances keep us entertained enough that anything that seems implausible is forgiven. And it's still funny when John Candy just keeps on running back into Steve Martin. Hughes does a really good job giving his movies, and this one in particular, some good emotional cores that don't detract one bit from the laughs. Breakfast Club is the only of his movies that has more emotional stakes to it, but this I think is Hughes' funniest. It's kind of too bad that the days of John Hughes and Mrs. Doubtfire type of comedies is past, but they did have their day and for better or for worse don't really fit in today's marketplace.I would recommend to anyone who likes 80's comedies, because it is one of the best. I doubt it will be many people's favorite movie, but it is somebody's favorite and will rank high on a lot of personal lists. It does have an R-rating because of the one scene, but otherwise it's a Goonies-level family movie. If your kid knows the f-word you can show this to them and if not, you can just skip over the one scene if you know when it is. If you're not huge on 80's comedy or are not familiar with it, this could changed whatever opinions you have. Yes, there are cheesy and old-fashioned things about it, but it should still entertain you for a solid 90 minutes. Overall Rating: 7.7/10
LeonLouisRicci
A Relief from the "Raunchy Comedy" Explosion that Permeated the Genre and Developed a Huge Fan-Base and Endless Entries during the Era, this Extremely Popular Movie Entertains with a Fast Pace and Two Endearing Talents, Steve Martin and John Candy.The Film is a Smooth Road Trip Adventure with the Adjective "Heartwarming" Attached Routinely from Fans and Critics.It is a Funny, Non-Threatening, Piece of Fluff that has an Easy Time Entering the Consciousness of the Audience and makes it a Congenial Ride-Along and Rewards with its Uncomplicated Scenario and Sharply Defined, if Elementary, Personas of the Characters.The Humor Results from the Dialog, mostly, and the Visuals are more Slow-Burn Expressionistic than Slapstick. The Director takes His Time setting up the Situations and then uses Martin and Candy to Punctuate the Proceedings with Their Individualistic Charm.Routinely Stopping the Film for Tugs at the Heart, with a Tear-Jerk of an Ending, the Movie Finds a Nice Tone that Separates it from the Routine. Highly Enjoyable Family Fun where All Ages can Find a Handle of Humor for Their Liking.Overrated, but Undeniably Infectious. The Underselling and Restraint Works Wonders for this Fan Favorite and it seems that only Nit-Pickers can Find Fault
