Mejor solo que mal acompañado

Very good comedy that has businessman Steve Martin trying to get home for the Thanksgiving holidays but having absolutely no luck. What is worse is that he cannot shake traveling salesman John Candy. The duo go through so many crazy situations trying to get Martin home and the question is will they survive the experience? The film is not all fun though as John Candy has a secret that will be discovered by the film's finale. John Hughes is at his best here. Along with "Home Alone" this is his best work. He adds outstanding comedy with just a pinch of real drama to create a really good film that keeps entertaining as the years pass by. 4 stars out of 5.

In New York, the marketing executive Neal Page (Steve Martin) wants to travel home in Chicago after hours for Thanksgiving. He has difficulties to get a taxi and his flight is canceled. He meets in the airport the clumsy and talkative shower curtain ring salesman Del Griffith (John Candy) that has taken his cab and they travel side-by-side to Chicago. However the bad weather shutdown the O'Hare Airport and they land at Wichita, Kansas. They both want to go to Chicago and they decide to travel together. Along their journey Neal changes his viewpoint about Del Griffith and his own behavior.

"Planes, Trains & Automobiles" is a funny and heartwarming comedy by John Hughes. Steve Martin and John Candy are among the best comedians of the 80's and their chemistry is amazing, giving one of the best performances in a comedy. The emotional conclusion is beautiful and never corny. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Antes Só do Que Mal Acompanhado" ("Better off Alone than with Bad Company")

Neal Page is trying to get home in time for thanksgiving with his family. When his plane is diverted to Wichita due to heavy snow elsewhere he finds himself partnering up with shower curtain salesman Del Griffith. However Del is not Neal's immediate first choice for travelling partner and the two soon find that one misfortune after another wears their patience very thin.

While comedies have moved on to become more grosser and outrageous in order to tickle our dulled funny bone, PT&A manages it with what now seems like restraint but is really a good example of `wacky™' comedy, mixed with a good vein of sentiment and character. The plot is pretty good although some of it pushes the boat out to the unreal in order to get laughs – but this isn't a problem because it DOES get laughs, if it hadn't then it might have been an issue. Most of it is hilarious although some drags early on.

The deeper beauty of the film is how well controlled Hughes is in painting his emotions. Usually his stuff can be sickly sweet but here he mixes it well with the comedy. The relationship between Neal and Del is good and they both have things to learn (more so Neal), the hurt they inflict on one another is well done and not to the point that the comedy is stopped. Thankfully the two actors are good enough to carry it off. Martin is close to his manic best and Candy plays a loveable goof. The best scene to see them working is when Martin is laying into Del in the hotel room – the expressions on their faces (Candy esp) during this makes it hard not to feel anything. The support cast do good work whether it be now-famous cameos or just support cast but each character has their own little thing!

Overall I worry that modern audiences may have become so used to everything being so OTT and gross that this film may seem subtle (even though it isn't). However aside from that this is a very funny film that does have a good heart. Not a perfect film in any way but it does exactly what it says on the tin - it made me laugh hard but also had a believable emotional core.

Steve Marin and John Candy are hilarious together in this comedy about a guy trying to get home to his family for thanksgiving with a guy who is really annoying. Everything that could go wrong to these guys goes wrong. Steve Martin plays a guy who is a businessman who is very uptight and John Candy plays a guy that means well but talks a lot and can be very annoying. Together they have the worst luck they could possibly have. During their venture they learn a lot from each other and become really good friends. This movie has a good storyline and will keep you laughing through most of the movie. I think anyone who has a sense of humor can appreciate this movie.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

**** (out of 4)

This John Hughes comedy is in my opinion one of the greatest comedies ever made. I've probably seen this thing at least a dozen times but it never loses any of its laughs. To me this is a real comic masterpiece with Steve Martin and John Candy delivering two of the most memorable performances from any comedy. The way the two men work together is as great as any comedy team in history. Martin is especially brilliant in the way he uses his facial gestures to get laughs. The scene in the motel where they wake up together is one of the funniest scenes ever. Non-stop laughs and a highly touching ending makes this a wonderful little film.