Friday Film Noir
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) is a comedy written and directed by John Hughes. The story follows Neal Page (Steve Martin), a tightly wound advertising executive trying to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving, whose carefully planned trip unravels when he is forced to travel alongside Del Griffith (John Candy), a relentlessly talkative and disorganized shower-curtain-ring salesman. As flights are canceled and routes collapse, the mismatched pair bounce from planes to trains to automobiles, each delay pushing Neal closer to frustration and despair. Del’s optimism and lack of self-awareness clash with Neal’s need for control, turning every setback into a test of patience. As the journey stretches on, Neal begins to see past his irritation and recognize the quiet loneliness beneath Del’s cheer, reframing the trip that neither of them planned.
Filmed in Chicago, St. Louis, and Montreal, the production relied heavily on real roads and terminals rather than soundstage recreations. John Hughes wrote the script rapidly, but the original cut of the film reportedly ran well over three hours before extensive trimming shaped the final version. Steve Martin was cast early, with Hughes writing Neal specifically for his controlled, escalating frustration. John Candy’s casting was central to the film, though other comedians, including Bill Murray, were discussed early before Hughes settled on Candy. Candy was encouraged to improvise freely within scenes. The infamous motel room scene was filmed with multiple improvised variations. Candy has said he approached Del as someone who talks to avoid silence rather than to entertain. Martin, by contrast, focused on precision, making the contrast between the two performances sharper. Upon release, the film became a seasonal favorite and is now widely regarded as one of Hughes’s most character-driven comedies.
