Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Summary

“May I see your rental agreement?”

Paramount Pictures has recently re-released the classic comedy Planes, Trains, and Automobiles in an attractive new steelbook. The film paired comedy legends Steve Martin and John Candy together under the direction of writer John Hughes. The film’s status as a holiday staple for folks celebrating Thanksgiving – especially folks forced to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday – has been secured since the film was released in 1987. It’s a winning film and Paramount’s new steelbook edition features some striking new artwork. Unfortunately, the disc inside the package is the same disc as the prior Blu-ray releases of the film (starting in 2012,) which means the video transfer is fairly dated. That said, if I was going to purchase the film right now, I would seek out the steelbook simply because the artwork itself is so striking.

As the film starts, Neal Page (Steve Martin) sits in a board meeting in New York City. He has come there from Chicago a few days before Thanksgiving with some architectural renderings he hopes will be approved. Unfortunately, his client takes a long time reviewing the documents. Neal has booked a 6:00 flight out of New York in order to join his wife that night as he has promised. Running behind, it is imperative that he hail a cab and makes his way to the airport. After a comedic mishap hailing the cab against a rival cab hailer (Kevin Bacon,) Neal pays a lawyer seventy five dollars for the cab he has hailed. Meanwhile, that cab is taken by Del Griffith (John Candy) who has put his large travel chest in the back. As Neal screams for the cab, Del looks on frightened. When Neal arrives at the airport, he has missed the 6:00 flight. Neal ends up sitting next to Del Griffith as he waits to board the next flight out, and he makes it obvious that he is displeased with Del for stealing his cab. When they board the flight, they are seated directly next to each other. Their personalities clash badly. When the flight hits bad weather, the men end up stranded in Wichita. Because Del is a traveling salesman (of shower rings,) he manages to finagle a motel room in the booked up city. Neal begrudgingly agrees to join Del which sets off a chain of mishaps as the men experience every imaginable travel difficulty on their way back to Chicago for the Thanksgiving holiday. They experience a wide range of characters along the way including an officer (Michael McKean,) a redneck (Dylan Baker,) a strange cab driver named Doobie (Larry Hankin,) and many more.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a comedy classic. I have seen the movie countless times and it still works because of the way it taps into the numerous aggravations that travelers experience. Most travelers eventually experience a flight delay or cancelled flight while traveling, or a hotel reservation that is bungled, or a mishap with a rental car company. I have personally experienced all those things. Hughes simply thinks of the worst ways in which travel could go wrong and exploits that idea to comedic benefit. The film features a real beating heart at its center thanks to the performance by John Candy. Even considering the numerous annoying aspects of the character that Candy plays, Candy also delivers a heart wrenching speech about how he likes himself which would melt the heart of the worst cynic. This is Candy’s best leading man role, because Candy sadly died at the age of 43 in 1994. I would have loved to have seen what his career would have been like in later years, but at least he left behind a few classic roles (including a very memorable small part in another holiday classic Home Alone.) The film is not the peak of Martin’s comedic repertoire – I would argue that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is his funniest film – but it would be hard to argue that it is not one of his most memorable films with some of the best replay value. John Hughes would somehow make two more holiday films that I like even better – Home Alone and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – but Planes, Trains, and Automobiles becomes necessary viewing around Thanksgiving time. It doesn’t quite feel like Thanksgiving until I watch Steve Martin curse aggressively at a Marathon rental car teller. If you have never seen the film, you should definitely check it out.

Video

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. This is the same transfer that was featured on the prior Blu-rays dating back to 2012 and unfortunately it shows its age. Paramount has recently done a truly remarkable job on the transfers in their Paramount Presents line of films, and this is not of that quality. The film shows some chunky grain from the use of DNR and does not have a natural filmic look. That said, until we get a 4K UHD of the film (or a remastered Blu-ray like Paramount recently did with Mission: Impossible?,) this is really the only option for seeing the film in HD. 

Audio

While the video may be somewhat lacking, Paramount’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track sounded pretty good to my ears. I am sure this is the same track that was featured on the prior release, but it does a solid job of replicating the original sound design of the film. It is a more active mix than you might expect with a solid soundtrack of songs from that time including “Every Time You Go Away.” I can’t imagine fans of the picture finding the surround track disagreeable.

Supplements:

• The supplements featured are the same features from the prior Blu-ray releases of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles.
• A Digital copy of the film is included.
• Getting There is Half the Fun: The Story of Planes, Trains and Automobiles 
• John Hughes: Life Moves Pretty Fast– A two-part feature contains John Hughes: The Voice of a Generation and Heartbreak and Triumph: The Legacy of John Hughes
• John Hughes for Adults
• A Tribute to John Candy
• Deleted Scene

Overall Scores: 

Video – 3/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 3.5/5

Overall – 4/5

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is a classic comedy that is deservedly revisited every year around Thanksgiving time by thousands of people across the nation. John Hughes was a fantastic writer with a real knack for tackling everyday frustrations with a unique comedic voice. The film has a lot of heart behind the laugh thanks to winning performances by John Candy and Steve Martin. The new steelbook edition of the film features some great looking artwork that fans will gladly display in their collection, but it is a little disappointing that the same Blu-ray disc from 2012 has been recycled again. If I was purchasing the film again (like I have numerous times,) this would be my preferred version. Until Paramount releases a UHD of the film (or even a remaster Blu-ray,) this is the best way to own the film on the market.