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John Candy month: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

 A retrospective by Brooks Rich

I decided to extend John Candy month for a bit as I had some personal issues come up. So just wrapping up some film I wanted to cover. Works for me. Just an excuse to keep talking about a master like Candy. 

Steve Martin is Neil Page, a marketing executive who is flying from New York to Chicago for Thanksgiving. While trying to hail a cab he trips over a large trunk and has his taxi stolen by Del Griffith, the immortal John Candy, who ends up being one of Neil's seat mates on the plane. Bad weather in Chicago strands them in Wichita. Determined to make up for ruining Neil's travel plans, Del swears to get Neil home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. Hilarity ensues. 

I mean come on. Who doesn't love Planes, Trains, and Automobiles? This is Candy's best film and I don't think that's a hot take. Sure some people might vote for Uncle Buck but not me. My vote is for this masterpiece of '80s comedy. It is also John Hughes best film and one of the best road trip movies of all time if not the best. There is a planned remake of it in the works and that is a useless idea. There is no need to remake this movie. Stop development now. Do not touch this. There's nothing to be done in a new version of this. The original still holds up. 

I don't want to take anything away from Steve Martin. He is fantastic as Neil Page and is the perfect type of straight man he made a career out of playing. His highlight is the scene where he goes off on an overly friendly midwest car  rental agent. Her rosy demeanor fades and she tells him he's fucked in one of the best line deliveries of the movie. Fantastic. 

But the star of the show is Candy as Del Griffith. He is so good in this and I don't think there was another actor who could have given Del as much heart as Candy does. Yeah he's an annoying blabbermouth and one of those guys you'd hate to be stuck sharing a flight with. But there is a charm to him. Del is not mean spirited and is honest in his attempts at friendship with Del. He means well even if he can't help but drive Neil crazy. No one else in the world could have played Del. He is almost tailor made for Candy. 

There's talks of a remake with Will Smith and Kevin Hart and dear God no. Do not touch this. The film is perfect. There's nothing a remake can offer. Do not remake this movie. And if you have never seen this correct that immediately. This is one of the best films in Candy's filmography. Go watch it. Now.




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