Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Director: The King of Eighties Teen Existentialism, John Hughes

Year of Release: 1987

Starring: Steve Martin and John Candy, who I used to wish was my dad when I was a kid. I was a teenager when he died, just a couple of days after 90s sex symbol River Phoenix died, and I was actually more upset about Candy (yeah, believe it or not, I was a total nerd).

First Viewing: I saw Planes, Trains and Automobiles at the Redcliffe Cultural Centre upon first release. I'm guessing Mum felt totally judged after watching the infamous car rental scene.

Quick Synopsis: Neal Page (Martin) is an uptight ad exec trying to get home from New York to Chicago in time for family Thanksgiving. He's randomly thrown together with bumbling everyman/shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith (Candy) when their flight is grounded in Wichita, Kansas. Thus begins a haphazard, slapstick cross-country journey that is equal parts hilarious, frustrating and absolutely heart-warming.

Why I Loved It: Odd couple buddy comedies have been around forever, from Laurel and Hardy in the 20s, to Abbott & Costello and Dean Martin/Jerry Lewis in the 40s, to Gene Wilder/Richard Pryor in the 70s/80s, to your modern day duo of Amy Poehler/Tina Fey. Usually buddy movies follow a pretty set character formula - one half of the pair is slightly more successful/socially acceptable, while the other is an outright buffoon. Situationally, there's some kind of farcical problem that the couple can only solve if they work together. On that instance, Planes, Trains and Automobiles doesn't cover any new ground. Additionally, the whole concept of a cross-country family bonding holiday/reunion isn't ground-breaking territory for John Hughes either - he covered that previously in the Vacation series and later again in the Home Alone series (both of which also featured Candy cameos).

What Planes, Trains and Automobiles does do differently is really merge slapstick comedy with drama. There are some incredibly heart-wrenching scenes, that speak to real emotional loss. You can see both the literal and metaphorical character journey of both Neal and Del, as both grow as people by going out of their comfort zones. Hughes' skill as a writer is truly admirable, and he's on top form here as he bounces between high drama and farce without skipping a beat. Take the scene where Neal brutally eviscerates Del's admittedly annoying personality. After an Oswald-style character assassination wherein Neal falls in an exhausted sleep next to Del, the pair wake up spooning, resulting in one of the best lines of the movie. You'll never think of hotel room pillows the same way.

It's a technique that actually primes the audience for the laughs to come. In fact, the emotional 'release' felt by the audience watching a comedy scene following a drama scene is exaggerated because they need to 'offset' the sad emotions created by the drama scene. Here, the 'sad' scene will decrease serotonin (the 'happy' brain chemical), requiring the comedy scene to increase serotonin. It's kind of similar to the psychological studies done on horror movies and attraction, where the physiological reactions provoked by horror (fear/anxiety) can be mistaken for romantic attraction.

As for the humour...I can honestly say Planes, Trains and Automobiles includes some of the funniest comedy scenes in history. I've loved this movie equally as much now as I did when I was seven, and I honestly don't think the jokes have ever aged (unlike myself).

Key Scene: There's so many, but the car rental scene is utterly brilliant and a true movie classic. If you haven't seen it, watch it just for that.

#Comedy #Buddy