Steve Martin has had an amazing career that spans three decades. Some of his best include The Jerk, All of Me, Little Shop of Horrors, Father of the Bride 1 and 2, and Bowfinger. He hasn’t made anything worthwhile in eight years (except for maybe Shopgirl), but that can't be held against him. He is a natural comedian, totally hilarious even in marginal entertainment, and I will always be a fan. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is his finest hour. Here he plays a normal guy just trying to get home for Thanksgiving, and despite all his efforts, he can’t escape somebody he takes an instant dislike to. Martin plays Neal Page as kind of a loner, one who doesn’t like to make chit-chat with others. We’ve all be there. We’re on the flight home, we have somebody wanting to talk to us on the plane, and we just want that person to shut up and focus on someone or something else.
Martin Has Never Been More Winning, but Candy Steals the Show
Neal doesn’t want Del to be a part of his life, but he just can’t get rid of him, and the joy of Martin’s performance is to see him transform from a lugubrious tight ass to a helpful friend. Del doesn’t necessarily change much by the end of the film. But Neal sees the great parts of Del by the end of his journey, and he recognizes that he’s a man who needs his friendship more than anyone else. Martin has some genuinely brilliant moments in the film, including a long rant, plus another long rant given to a car rental lady that is one of the most hilarious (and surprisingly vulgar) scenes of any comedy of the last 20 years.
While Martin has appeared in numerous great comedies, this is John Candy's one and only, with his one superb, hilarious, genuinely moving performance. It's hard to pick a perfect Candy moment in this. He is completely on his game from beginning to end, providing one giant laugh after another, and providing a handful of really sad and affecting moments. He can be really funny for minutes on end, like in a scene where he’s driving the rental car and Neal is sleeping soundly beside him. As Del drives the car, he starts lip syncing to a Ray Charles song “Mess Around” and keeps having trouble keeping the car on the road. This moment is at least two minutes of just Candy having fun, and it’s a wonderful scene.
Del Griffith is One of the Great Characters in Modern Comedy
The most affecting scene has to be when Neal sits outside in the car, in the cold, his coat pressed up against his face. He talks to himself, as if he were talking to his wife, telling her how disappointed she must be and how much he misses her. This is a sad scene on first viewing. It’s an absolutely heartbreaking scene on second viewing. When Neal finds out a secret in the end, and we find Del at the train station, it's difficult not to be emotionally affected. Why is this scene more affecting than other sad scenes in dramas and thrillers? Because Del Griffith is a fully realized character, brought to life beautifully by the late John Candy.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a classic comedy of the 80s, and certainly the best Thanksgiving movie ever. The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Planes, Trains, and Automobiles – to think, John Hughes made these three classics all within just two years of each other. And what’s amazing is the similarity in structure and differences in use of location among the films. The first two take place over a single day and the latter takes place over just two days. But The Breakfast Club takes place in a high school, with mostly nothing but talk. Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is more ambitious in its locations, showing a lot of Chicago. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles takes us all around the country, from New York to Kansas to Illinois.
The Late John Hughes Mastered the 80s Comedy
While some of his films just stay behind a classroom window, and others may feature sights from different cities, his comedic timing, terrific pace, good ear for dialogue, and affection for his characters never falter. After Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Hughes would go on to never direct another good movie before his death in 2009. No bother. With these three films, he has created a cinematic legacy, and he proves that good comedy is hard, great comedy is rare, and brilliant comedy is one in a million. But he did it three times.
See Part 1: Planes, Trains & Automobiles: A Retrospective – Part 1
