Planes, Trains And Automobiles (DVD)

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TITLE: Planes, Trains & Automobiles

RATING: *****

CAST: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins, Michael McKean, Kevin Bacon, Dylan Baker, Carol Bruce, Olivia Burnette, Diana Douglas, Larry Hankin, Edie McClurg.

DIRECTOR: John Hughes

SCREENWRITER: John Hughes

STUDIO: Paramount

RUNNING TIME: 93 Minutes

RELEASE YEAR: 1987

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Paramount originally released Planes, Trains And Automobiles on DVD back in 2000 with middling results. Not only was the disc bare-bones, but the anamorphic image was extremely dirty, with smudges and grain galore. The transfer on this new “Those Aren’t Pillows!” edition is a huge improvement, with sharp black levels, terrific flesh tones, and very bright colors. Everything has been cleaned up for a sweet image; even if it boasts a slight ... more

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TITLE: Planes, Trains & Automobiles

RATING: *****

CAST: Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins, Michael McKean, Kevin Bacon, Dylan Baker, Carol Bruce, Olivia Burnette, Diana Douglas, Larry Hankin, Edie McClurg.

DIRECTOR: John Hughes

SCREENWRITER: John Hughes

STUDIO: Paramount

RUNNING TIME: 93 Minutes

RELEASE YEAR: 1987

RATED: R (US) & 15 (UK); contains some strong language in one sequence.

AMAZON AVAILABILITY: 2 GBP for ASIN B000059L9F (Original 2000 DVD); 5.25 GBP for B002JIOOAI (2009 "Those Aren't Pillows" Special Edition)

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“Please, have mercy! I’ve been wearing the same underwear since Tuesday!” --- Neal Page

John Hughes’ "Planes, Trains, And Automobiles" is a comedy classic and features great performances by Steve Martin and the late John Candy. After nine long years, Paramount is finally seeing fit to double-dip, but is really worth the upgrade?

N.Y. marketing executive Neal Page (Steve Martin, "The Pink Panther") has only one ambition: to get to Chicago to be with his wife and kids to celebrate Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, he’s finds himself stuck in Wichita, Kansas with a blabbering shower curtain ring salesman named Del Griffith (John Candy, "Uncle Buck"). At first, Neal finds Del crude and annoying, but eventually both begin to depend on each other to make it to Chicago. Neither realizes, however, that their journey together will yield both utter disaster and mutual understanding.

When John Hughes died in August 2009, he had been out of the spotlight for almost 15 years, quietly retiring to his hometown of Chicago. He loved the Windy City so much it became a setting in almost all of his screenplays, from "National Lampoon’s Vacation" to "Home Alone". In this sense, he became Chicago’s version of Woody Allen, consistently crafting humor out of realistic situations, whether it be driving cross-country, having a man be head of the household, the trials and tribulations of being a teenager, or dealing with obnoxious relatives. Somehow, we were able to identify with many of his characters, no matter what they were going through and struggling with.

Of all the films he made, I don’t think he reached closer to cinematic perfection than "Planes, Trains & Automobiles". Fans of his “teenspeak” comedies ("Sixteen Candles", "The Breakfast Club", and "Ferris Bueller’s Day Off") can cite those as some of the most influential films of all time. Twentieth Century Fox can boast and brag about "Home Alone" and its sequels making a butt-ton of money for them. And my own sister could place "She’s Having A Baby" on the highest pedestal she can find. It still doesn’t erase the fact that "Planes" is the rarest of comedies, full of laughs AND poignancy, having a genuine heart amidst all the hysterics. I can’t imagine the film having a great amount of detractors; it’s simply impossible to dislike.

The film represents a career change for all involved. Hughes began to get labeled as a teen director, and wanted to branch out into more adult fare. Candy had done a string of roles which made him known as little more a loutish cartoon character. And Martin was still labeled the “wild and crazy guy,” starring in a bunch of movies which were all about silliness and wacky behavior. Of course, Martin had done "Roxanne" earlier in the year which made him a romantic leading man, but he still dabbled in his own comic inventions. In "Planes" he plays his role almost completely straight, but Hughes never allows Candy to hog the spotlight. Usually when you cast two huge comedians in a film it’s doomed to disaster, as one tries to outplay the other. Here, this is never the case.

Admittedly, "Planes" does boil down to being a road movie, but Hughes never loses sight of his characters and their emotions. Neil is a cynic who just wants everyone to get the hell out of his way so he can get home, while Del is a man who acknowledges his social faults, yet waves them off in harmony. The film’s key moment, in which we embrace both as human beings, Neil goes off on a violent rant on how he’s tired with Del’s annoying attempts at stimulating conversation. It’s hilarious stuff—Neil goes so far as comparing Del to a Chatty Cathy doll—but while we’re laughing we see the hurt in Del’s eyes and the way his face seems to melt away in pain. He’s obviously received this kind of verbal hazing before. In response, he doesn’t break down and sob like a kid but rather opens his heart up to Neil and agrees with him that he’s far from perfect. Del says he’s content with who he is as a person and that he refuses to change, ending his speech. Neil, rather than stomp away in anger, begins to understand Del’s frustration and decides to stay with him. From this point forward, we completely believe in these guys sticking together. And Hughes, thankfully, never takes a left turn towards the maudlin.

There are several big laughs in the movie, yet Hughes doesn’t depend on the two leads to supply all of them. Along the way, they meet an assortment of oddball characters, many of whom threaten to steal their respective scenes. There’s a grunting redneck called Owen, played by wonderful character actor Dylan Baker in his film debut. Michael McKean has a nice cameo as a cop who pulls over the duo for speeding in their rental car (or what’s left of it). As usual, Hughes requests the services of some of his regulars, including Edie McClurg as a daffy car rental agent and Ben Stein as an airport rep. Oh, yes, that’s indeed Kevin Bacon in a memorable scene near the beginning as the man Martin challenges to a race over a taxicab.

Still, this is really Martin’s and Candy’s show, and both offer what may very well be the finest performances of their careers. Candy, especially, exhibits a vulnerability and tenderness in which he had never tapped into before; it’s no wonder Hughes loved him so much. Along with the scene I mentioned before, the soliloquy he gives while sitting out in the car in the bitter cold is profoundly moving, no matter how many times you see it. As for Martin, it’s remarkable to see him change from being a cold-hearted bastard into a man who sees the humanity in Candy’s character. It’s certainly not a Scrooge-like transformation, but it’s driven in a completely realistic way, which is both refreshing and enlightening. Like all great movies, we come to like and care about these characters, and the final moments inside the Chicago train station and at Martin’s house are played so beautifully they may just make a tear come to your eye.

Paramount originally released Planes, Trains And Automobiles on DVD back in 2000 with middling results. Not only was the disc bare-bones, but the anamorphic image was extremely dirty, with smudges and grain galore. The transfer on this new “Those Aren’t Pillows!” edition is a huge improvement, with sharp black levels, terrific flesh tones, and very bright colors. Everything has been cleaned up for a sweet image; even if it boasts a slight softness, its still looks like it could have been shot this year. On the audio front, we have basically the same 5.1 surround track, and there isn’t much of a difference from the older copy. Ira Newborn’s unusual but amusing score and the songs, including “Mess Around” (by Ray Charles) and “Everytime You Go Away” (by Blue Room), are all given proper attention, sounding better than ever. Environmental and highway noise both sound natural and uncompromised. An alternate track is provided in 2.0 Spanish Mono. Subtitles are available in English, French and Spanish. For once, Paramount has done right and given this film a superb A/V upgrade.

Unfortunately, Paramount seems to have dropped the ball when it comes to this disc’s bonus features. In summary, they supply three featurettes and a deleted scene. The real meat is found in the 17-minute “Getting There Is Half The Fun: The Story of Planes, Trains And Automobiles.” Basically, this is a mixture of archival footage and newly-recorded interviews with McKean, McClurg, executive producer Neil Machlis, and the casting directors. Among other things, McKean talks about how his part was originally longer and his reasons for stopping Del and Neil were changed.

In the archives, we get comments from the director and both stars while being interviewed inside the set of the rental car agency. There’s no moderator, as the questions come solely from the press. It’s a rather uneven affair, although it’s admittedly cool to see Hughes, Martin, and Candy together and talking about the film. Personally, I would have liked the 1987 interview to be uncut and serve as a stand-alone feature. Preferences aside, though, where is Steve Martin? He’s always considered this the favorite of all his films, and his presence would have made all the difference.

The two other featurettes are quite brief, with one honoring John Candy and the other discussing Hughes’ direction towards adult-oriented fare. As for the deleted scene (“Airplane Food”), it runs 3.5 minutes and frequently appears in television broadcasts. It’s a funny little scene, but it’s also somewhat of a tease, as it’s been rumored for years that Hughes’ original cut was over three hours. Some sources suggest that Hughes removed all of the unused footage from the Paramount vaults years ago, but who knows? Regardless, with the lack of additional footage and Martin being MIA, this new “Those Aren’t Pillows!” edition feels rather hollow. Considering the excellent A/V qualities, however, this DVD release is definitely worth purchasing to replace your old disc, even if the extras are not up to snuff. Of course, its pure conjecture if Paramount is saving the unused footage for a Blu-ray release, but only time will tell.

Thanks for reading and have a good day! Chris :)

R.I.P. John Hughes 

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