What distinguishes this film from others in the genre is the undercurrent of melancholy between the laughs.
Comment
11/09/09
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
95
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:42
Fresh:40
Rotten:2
Average Rating:7.8/10
Runtime: 1 hr 33 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: All Neal Page (Steve Martin) wants to do is make it home from a business trip in New York City and spend Thanksgiving with his family in Chicago. Instead, he finds himself rerouted from New York's... [More]
Starring: Steve Martin, John Candy, Kevin Bacon, Michael McKean
Director: John Hughes
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Reviews for Planes, Trains and Automobiles
It is, of course, always a pleasure to watch Martin's steam-gauge face register his rising internal pressures and to witness his exquisitely expressed blowoffs. But Candy offers even more insinuating delights.
11/21/08
Top CriticProducer-director-writer Hughes infuses his film with an appealing sense of sentiment and humanity -- not to mention many hilarious scenes.
11/21/08
Man versus technology has been one of the staples of screen comedy since the earliest silent days, and Hughes makes the most of the format here packing as many of the frustrations of modern life as he can into this calamitous travelog of roadside America.
11/21/08
Top CriticNo review available.
03/09/08
No review available.
11/13/07
This slapstick comedy -- with Steve Martin playing the fussy straight man -- should never have worked, but it does, and well enough to earn a place as a holiday classic.
11/17/06
There's plenty of big laughs in this odd-couple comedy, but the main characters are also given a number of human moments, which leads to an ending that's downright poignant.
02/20/06
Essentially, it's the stars' keenly observed nuances of character that make this comedy amiable enough.
02/09/06
No review available.
07/24/05
No review available.
07/07/05
No review available.
06/26/05
No review available.
05/18/05
No review available.
01/29/05
What’s amazing, especially after repeated viewings, is that both actors are playing such extremes, yet you’re never annoyed by them.
01/15/05
Consistently funny comedy of forced relationships.
01/05/05
Will resonate with anyone who has been frustrated by the inconveniences of travel.
08/28/04
No review available.
12/18/03
No review available.
08/22/03
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