Moving Pictures

'PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES' MAKES US THANKFUL FOR EVEN DISASTROUS HOLIDAYS

BY JOE NOLAN Film Critic

Holidays and films go hand-in-hand: Christmas is huge for big new releases as well as classics on the small screens in our homes. Halloween has an overflowing trick-or-treat bag of movies that name-check it. And even St. Patrick’s Day can lay claim to the entire Leprechaun universe.

That said, Thanksgiving is less represented by holiday screen fare — it’s mostly overlooked in lieu of NFL football and the looming shadow of that fat man in the red suit. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) is the outlier movie of writer/director John Hughes’ filmography: the film is uniquely centered on the Thanksgiving holiday, and it’s an adult comedy that stands-out in a career forged in teen flicks.

John Hughes is mostly celebrated for his Brat Pack films of the 1980s. Movies like Sixteen Candles (1984), The Breakfast Club (1985) and Weird Science (1985) are coming-of-age classics that remain relevant because Hughes was never satisfied to let his characters be only the clichés that he roasted in these class war parables disguised as high school dramas. Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ adult focus and holiday setting make it a rare and special offering from Hughes. But Planes, Trains and Automobiles isn’t completely removed from Hughes’ teen movies: it’s also a film about class, and — like Dickens’ A Christmas Carol and Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (1946) it’s about gratitude and generosity, but this time with a side of stuffing and turkey gravy, and shower curtain rings.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles is an odd-couple story that finds a marketing executive named Neal Page (Steve Martin) trying to get home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. Page leaves a pointless, frustrating meeting in Manhattan before crossing paths with a traveling shower curtain ring salesman named Del Griffith (the late, great John Candy). In that instant Neal’s short trip back to his beautiful home, his beautiful wife, his beautiful family, and their picturesque holiday celebration is thrown into a blender of blunders including snowstorms, rerouted flights, stolen cabs, nasty hotels and plenty of quality time for the mismatched pair to be forced to get to know one another.

Hughes’ teen movies stood out in a cinema era awash in varsity jackets, pocket protectors, big hair, and bad school principals. Hughes’ films were laugh-out-loud funny, but they were grounded in a realism he established with three-dimensional characters and their genuine-seeming interactions. In Hughes’ films the kids are alternately dumb and funny and talented and bright and beautiful. But all of them are insecure and struggling and dreaming like only adolescents can.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ Neal is an uptight snob, but he’s also a loving family man who desperately wants to spend the holiday with his family. Del is an overly-friendly oaf who hides deep pain and loss behind a constant torrent of friendly chatter. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is 33-years-old and this evergreen holiday classic is full of funny lines and hilarious moments that many of us know by heart. This movie is hilarious, but in the hands of John Hughes it’s much more than just a road trip comedy. It’s a film about two men from two different strata of society who ultimately choose to connect with one another through goodwill, generosity and gratitude, demonstrating the transforming power of the magical holiday season.

Of course — spoiler alert — Planes, Trains and Automobiles is also a movie about a man struggling with homelessness. This film is an antidote to the capitalist values reflected in holiday consumerism, and it reminds us of the common humanity we share with all of our neighbors.

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.