Cheap Planes, Trains and Automobiles (DVD) (Steve Martin, John Candy) (John Hughes) Price

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Customer Reviews of Planes, Trains and Automobiles

It is really a hilarious movie. Steve Martin and John Candy kept us laughing throughout the movie as they race home for the Thanksgiving Holiday. There is a touching feel good message at the conclusion of the film as well. Unfortunately, we forgot that Steve Martin's character goes on a flaming F-WORD rant for about a minute and a half (unnecessary). However, this film is relatively tamed compared to today's R-rated movies.

My bigger complaint about this movie is that the picture quality is not good at all. There is one scene, where Steve Martin is in the bathroom, that I can almost imagine hearing the hiss/crackle/pop of the old movie theaters, because the quality is so bad.

In all, I think that this is a good movie, but don't expect DVD quality - It is more like VHS.

A great 'traveling' movie
Steve Martin plays Neal Page, a slightly uptight marketing executive on a business trip who just wants to get home for Thanksgiving. Neal has trouble on the way to, and at the airport. Del Griffith (a shower curtain ring salesman played by John Candy) accidentally takes his cab, he gets bumped from 1st class into coach, the flight detours because of a snowstorm. If that's not enough, he's seated next to Del on the plane! Del is friendly and well-meaning, but likes to tell 'pointless' stories and dumb jokes, which annoys Neal even more. They get a hotel room together. In the middle of the night, Neal unloads on Del. After hearing his understandable but mean ranting, Del inoffensively defends himself.

They slowly inch closer to Chicago, sometimes splitting up but always end up reuniting. Neal goes to a rental car lot only to find his car is gone, AND the bus has pulled away! He has to walk back to the airport and gets mad at a chatty, squeaky-voiced middle-aged female clerk. "I want a f--ing Toyota, a f----g Buick, just 4 f---ing wheels and a seat!" Somehow this isn't overuse and it's hilarious. It's also the only reason I can think of that some fussy people (the kind who still thinks all kids are dumb or impressionable) gave this an R rating. TRUST ME, this movie is almost Disney safe these days.

Anyway, Del has a rental car, runs into Neal and they do a lot of driving. This is just about my favorite part. Eventually they get into an accident and stay in another motel. They fight and make up a few times. After their (to say the least) run-down car is impounded, they still manage to get to Chicago in time. I'm not going to say how it ends, just that it's heartwarming and a little sad. John Hughes directed many classic movies of this genre in the late '80s and early '90s. Some don't consider this to be so good. Although it gets mildly serious more often, the funniest parts are here too. Del getting way into the Ray Charles song while Neal is trying to sleep. Than there was the driver yelling "You're going the wrong way" when Del didn't realize he was going into oncoming traffic, just to name a few.

There's a couple of things I can see that make it not quite perfect, though. It could've used a better soundtrack (there was hardly any music), maybe some '80s Pop or Rock. Everyone besides Neal & Del pretty much just had cameos, even Neal's family. It would've been nice if they even had a little more prominent roles. This is one of those 'comedy versus tragedy' movies. We've all been where Neal has, (for me, running to catch a bus qualifies). Watching his reaction is funny, but when we're there we feel just like he does. Personality-wise, I'm somewhere between the 2 characters, so both sides were equally funny.

TOPS!!
Call me silly, but I am 44 and have been watching movies most of my life. This is my #1 favorite movie of all time. It cant compare with the great movies throughout history, but they are not my #1 favorite....this one is. How is that for a review?