Planes, Trains and Automobiles

This is by far one of my favorite comedies of all-time! If you have not seen it yet, then I recommend it to anyone who likes to have a good laugh. The film was made in 1987 and was directed by John Hughes. It stars two of my favorite comedians, Steve Martin and John Candy. By the way, John Candy is actually Canadian and is one of my countries most beloved and cherished actors. He is most recognized for his witty humor that can be appreciated by people of all ages. Steve Martin plays an uptight, sarcastic, and very pessimistic person by the name of Neal Page. On the other hand, John Candy plays a very friendly and optimistic person named Del Griffith who tends to easily form attachments to people. These two characters are basically the exact opposite from each other in every single way; however, their lives seem to still collide with each other while they both try to get home for Thanksgiving. Previously, I wrote a blog on the movie "Due Date" that was just recently released to theaters less than a month a ago. "Due Date" seems to have used nearly the exact same storyline as "Planes, Trains and Automobiles", also including characters with very similar characteristics. But by far, the original, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" was much better. Anyways, it is a great movie full of hilarious scenes, a plot spinning ending, and two great actors who have helped to turn Comedy into what it has became today. It is definitely worth checking out!


The main premise of the story is about two very different characters by the name of Neal Page and Del Griffith, who bump into each other on the way to the airport while trying to catch a cab. In turn, Del ends up mistakenly taking Neal's cab in which Neal had just bribed another man for it, for over a $100. This of course is not the best start for their problematic journey together. Soon after, the two of them end up running into each other again, this time at the airport, where they are both scheduled for the same flight. Before being able to depart to chicago, their plane gets caught in a bad storm forcing them to land halfway to their destination. Later on in the movie, Neil has no choice but to pair up with Del, leading them on a long and crazy journey together to try and get Neal home for his Thanksgiving Dinner with his family. To change it up a bit this week, I thought I would include some of my favorite quotes in the movie. Hope you enjoy!


This quote involves a scene when Del and Neal are waking up after sharing the same bed together in the only motel room they could afford:
Neal: Del... Why did you kiss my ear? 
Del: Why are you holding my hand? 
Neal: [frowns] Where's your other hand? 
Del: Between two pillows... 
Neal: Those aren't pillows! 

Another one of my favorite quotes in the movie is when Del talks to a police officer that had just pulled him and Neal over for speeding in their completely trashed rental car that had caught on fire the previous night before, but surprisingly still ran great:

State Trooper: What the hell are you driving here? Del: Well you see officer, we had a small fire last night, but we caught it in the nick of time. State Trooper: Do you have any idea how fast you were going? Del: Funny enough, I was just talking to my friend about that. Our speedometer has melted and as a result it's very hard to see with any degree of accuracy exactly how fast we were going.

One other great quote in the movie is when Neal complains about all the stupid things that Del does and in return he asks Del to try to name one thing that he doesn't like about him:

Del: You play with your balls a lot. Neal: I do NOT play with my balls!Del: Larry Bird doesn't do as much ball-handling in one night as you do in an hour! Neal: Are you trying to start a fight? Del: No. I'm simply stating a fact. That's all. You fidget with your nuts a lot. Neal: You know what'd make me happy? Del: Another couple of balls, and an extra set of fingers? 

Those quotes are hilarious, and trust me, there are many more as well. "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" is a really great movie that I have came to appreciate more and more over the past  several years of watching it sporadically from time to time. It seems to get funnier the more I watch it, which is something that does not happen to often in comedies. Here is a preview of the movie to help you decide: "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles". You will not be disappointed!