RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
Check out the new RT Community
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
95 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

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... 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 La Guardia Airport to Wichita, Kansas. With no other options, Neal decides to share a room in a fleabag hotel with Del Griffith (John Candy), a shower-curtain-ring salesman and fellow stranded traveler. Although Neal finds Del to be a buffoon, he just can't seem to get away from him. To make matters worse, all their efforts to get back to Chicago fail as trains break down and rental cars catch on fire. Along the way they encounter crazy cabbies, redneck truck drivers, and oversexed bus passengers. John Hughes's (SIXTEEN CANDLES, THE BREAKFAST CLUB) first film to feature adults after his success with teen films features fine performances from Martin and Candy. Kevin Bacon, who appeared in Hughes's next film, SHE'S HAVING A BABY, makes a small but humorous appearance, as does Edie McClurg, known for her role as the high school secretary in FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF. [More]

Starring: Steve Martin, John Candy, Kevin Bacon, Michael McKean

Starring: Steve Martin, John Candy, Kevin Bacon, Michael McKean, William Windom

Director: John Hughes

Director: John Hughes

[See More Credits]

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Nov 21, 2000

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Planes, Trains and Automobiles

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

What distinguishes this film from others in the genre is the undercurrent of melancholy between the laughs.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
11/09/09
Brian Holcomb
Brian Holcomb
CinemaBlend.com

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.

Full Review Source: TIME Magazine | comment Comment
11/21/08
Richard Schickel
Richard Schickel
TIME Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Producer-director-writer Hughes infuses his film with an appealing sense of sentiment and humanity -- not to mention many hilarious scenes.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
11/21/08
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
11/21/08
Variety Staff
Variety Staff
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

No review available.

comment Comment
03/09/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

No review available.

comment Comment
11/13/07
Susan Granger
Susan Granger
www.susangranger.com

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.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment 1 Comment
11/17/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

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.

comment Comment
02/20/06
Chuck O'Leary
Chuck O'Leary
FulvueDrive-in.com

Essentially, it's the stars' keenly observed nuances of character that make this comedy amiable enough.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
07/24/05
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
Washington Times

No review available.

comment Comment
07/07/05
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

No review available.

comment 3 Comments
06/26/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
05/18/05
Eric Melin
Eric Melin
Lawrence.com

No review available.

comment Comment
01/29/05
Philip Martin
Philip Martin
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

What’s amazing, especially after repeated viewings, is that both actors are playing such extremes, yet you’re never annoyed by them.

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
01/15/05
Pete Croatto
Pete Croatto
Filmcritic.com

Consistently funny comedy of forced relationships.

comment Comment
01/05/05
Steve Crum
Steve Crum
Kansas City Kansan

Will resonate with anyone who has been frustrated by the inconveniences of travel.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
08/28/04
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

John Hughes at the peak of his powers, with two masterful comedians at theirs.

comment Comment
05/19/04
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

No review available.

comment Comment
12/18/03
Brian J. Arthurs
Brian J. Arthurs
Beach Reporter (Southern California)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/22/03
John Esther
John Esther
Pasadena Weekly
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Planes, Trains and Automobiles

October 07, 2009: Emma Stone talks Zombieland - RT Interview
After kicking off her movie career in Superbad as the high-school hottie throwing the cool party, Emma Stone is rapidly carving a niche for herself as a young actress with good... More...

September 17, 2009: Five Favourite Films with Nick Love
Nick Love isn't known for heart. The film which earned him his "From the director of..." title card, The Football Factory, is nothing if not violent, loud and not particularly... More...

November 26, 2008: Total Recall: Not-So-Happy Movie Thanksgivings
Everyone has the day off work, there's a big bird on the table, and relatives you haven't seen in awhile are sitting around watching the Lions lose their twelfth game of the... More...

September 25, 2006: Toronto Wrapup: Senh, Jen And Tim's Raves And Rants From The Festival
We saw some great movies, some of them big ("Babel") and some tiny ("The Patterns Trilogy"). We saw some interesting failures ("The Banquet") and... More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
40% 40% Surrogates
83% 83% Whip It
29% 29% Gamer
97% 97% The Hurt Locker
81% 81% Michael Jackson's This…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
87% 87% A Serious Man
37% 37% The Time Traveler's Wife
78% 78% Bronson
11% 11% The Stepfather

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Runaways Pictures

Runaways Pictures

Run away with Kristen and Dakota!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Tom Cruise Accepts Another Mission: Impossible Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
36
  • Chris Nolan on Board for Dark Knight Sequel -- and Superman Reboot? Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
267
  • Tim Robbins Joins Green Lantern Source: Hollywood Reporter
58
  • Fox Moves Forward with 24 Movie Source: HitFix
8
  • Bill Murray Talks Ghostbusters III Source: Sunday Mail [UK]
56
  • Captain America News, News, and More News Source: Collider.com
20
  • Taylor Lautner Is Stretch Armstrong Source: MTV
78
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
288
  • Percy Jackson Star (Briefly) Rumored for Spider-Man Reboot Source: Hollywood Reporter
35
  • Five Facts About Alice in Wonderland
140
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Total Recall: Jeff Bridges' Best Movies
114
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: Avatar Finally Toppled by Dear John
104
  • Weekly Ketchup: Sci-Fi at the Oscars, Raimi eyes The Shadow
96
  • Five Favorite Films With Precious' Gabby Sidibe
35
  • Friday Harvest: The Last Airbender, The A-Team, and more!
27
  • Critics Consensus: From Paris With Love Is Not Bon
22
  • Total Recall: Anthony Hopkins' Best Movies
20
  • Five Favourite Films with Anika Noni Rose
17
  • Awards Tour: Pixar and Disney Rule The Annies
15
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: A Serious Man, Couples Retreat, and More
10
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • Oscar Nominee Gabby Sidibe Talks Precious
20
  • One Man's Quest To Find The Worst Movie Ever
7
  • Five Favorite Films With Peter Jackson
77
  • Robert Downey Jr. talks Sherlock Holmes & Iron Man 2 - RT Interview
22
  • Director Ruben Fleischer Talks Zombieland
3
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
17
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
13
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
24
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
8
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
16
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Planes, Trains and Automobiles at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Planes, Trains and Automobiles at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Celebrity Yearbook Photos
Celebrity Yearbook Photos External Link

Check out PopEater's collection of childhood photos of celebs, from Tom Cruise to Kim Kardashian.

Who Will Win the Oscars?
Who Will Win the Oscars? External Link

TIME's Richard Corliss pores over the Oscar noms for the major awards and offers his take on who will win.

Oscar Fever = Terminal Illness?
Oscar Fever = Terminal Illness? External Link

For a different take, the AV Club delves into why awards season is terrible.

Who's the Razziest?
Who's the Razziest? External Link

Moviefone has put together a list of the actors with the most Razzie noms ever.

Mass Effect Movie?
Mass Effect Movie? External Link

Hollywood.com makes a case for a big screen adaptation of popular game Mass Effect.

Promos
Get the Flixster App Now!
Get the Flixster App Now! External Link

Download it from iTunes and get Tomatometer scores straight to your iPhone!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo
About Us | Advertise | Contact Us | Press | Careers
IGN | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | Direct2Drive | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Game Sites | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | GIGA.DE | What They Play | Battlefield Heroes
By continuing past this page, and by your continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2010, IGN Entertainment, Inc. | Support | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! RSS Feeds
IGN’s enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA.
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.