Why It Ranks
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is Martin and Candy's masterpiece. The rental car f-bomb scene is the greatest comic rant ever filmed. The final twist redefines everything that came before. Hughes proved he could write adults as well as teenagers. The definitive Thanksgiving comedy — nothing else comes close.
The Film
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is the greatest buddy comedy ever made. John Hughes wrote a Thanksgiving road trip for the two funniest men in comedy — Steve Martin's uptight marketing executive and John Candy's lovable shower curtain ring salesman — and the result is 93 minutes of escalating disaster that ends with one of the most emotionally devastating reveals in comedy history. The rental car scene where Martin unloads every profanity in the English language is catharsis distilled to its purest form.
Fun Facts
The original cut was over three hours — Hughes reportedly cried while editing it down to 93 minutes because he loved every scene.
John Candy improvised Del Griffith's entire backstory monologue in a single take — Martin's emotional reaction is genuine.
The 'Those aren't pillows!' scene was Steve Martin's idea — he pitched it to Hughes as the worst possible thing to wake up to.
The car fire scene used a real car that was set on fire on a real highway — the fire department was standing by.
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