Those aren't pillows!
November 28, 2024 8:56 AM   Subscribe

An oral history of the greatest Thanksgiving movie ever made from Jason Bailey for Vanity Fair. Article from 2022, the 35th anniversary of the release of Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

If the main link has been posted before, apologies, but I couldn't find it.

PTA previously in FanFare.

It's been 30 years since the world lost John Candy and 15 since John Hughes left us, but they remain synonymous with holiday family fare for this elder millennial.

Available for free streaming currently on Pluto TV.
posted by the primroses were over (15 comments total) 19 users marked this as a favorite
 
Except that the greatest Thanksgiving movie ever made is obviously Home for the Holidays.
posted by Pedantzilla at 9:17 AM on November 28 [5 favorites]


Yes, this is a perfect place for the low stakes bickering that makes for a cozy holiday gathering.

My family did Thanksgiving last Saturday, so I have today for laziness. We had 3 types of cranberry relish/sauce/chutney because it is important for everyone's harmless wrong opinions on things like movies and food to be indulged.
posted by the primroses were over at 9:23 AM on November 28 [4 favorites]


We watched PT&A last night, and I commented that I was bothered by how unsympathetic Neal's wife (Susan) is. I had no idea that there was a whole subplot cut with her suspicions about what was going on. Mildly surprised there were no reshoots to fix Susan's role after the edits, but I imagine there wasn't a lot of time.
posted by Ickster at 9:42 AM on November 28 [2 favorites]


Home for the Holidays, which is objectively in the same tier as Planes …, was of course written by the director of Buckaroo Banzai.
posted by PresidentOfDinosaurs at 11:16 AM on November 28 [5 favorites]


Is that what that watermelon was for?
posted by chavenet at 12:20 PM on November 28 [2 favorites]


i've never seen this. think i'll watch it tonight. thanks for the post!
posted by lapolla at 12:32 PM on November 28 [2 favorites]


Candy, who I first knew from the brilliant SCTV, was immensely talented but as the link notes(which is paywalled) he was rarely given the chance by Hollywood to use it properly.
I saw this movie in the theatre when it came out, and laughed like everyone else did and had a good time.
Years later I can see how good Candy was and how essentially underplaying the key scene in the train station with Martin was such a smart decision. I find it gut wrenching now, watching that scene, and realize just how real that comes across, which is not something I would have expected from Candy way back when and did not quite grasp on first viewing.
Dell Griffith, as assayed by Candy, for all the laughs, also has his own dignity as a human being which isn't always the case in Hollywood with characters like him. Once again a tribute to the people involved in the making of this film.

I am Canadian and would like to wish all the Americans here a Happy Thanksgiving as well.
posted by Phlegmco(tm) at 1:05 PM on November 28 [14 favorites]


Sorry, don't read Vanity Fair much, so I had no issues with the link and didn't consider it - here's an archive link.

I love this movie, and I am sad for today's youth that they don't have a John Candy equivalent - or do they, am I just out of it?

But I also really enjoyed this article's description of John Hughes' process. The actor with one line that ended up getting 50+ days work out of it as the production chased snow. Reshooting scenes over and over to let each actor improvise. The first cut that was 3 hours and 45 minutes long. As an inefficient person, this is all very relatable, but I assume not possible for anyone in Hollywood short of late 80's John Hughes cachet.
posted by the primroses were over at 1:26 PM on November 28 [3 favorites]


Bah hahaha I just watched it this morning with my 12 year old and we both just died laughing. I can appreciate a movie made when I was 17 making a Gen Z kid laugh.
posted by tristeza at 2:06 PM on November 28 [3 favorites]


The deleted scene is just beautiful, absolutely perfectly paced comedy, like something out of a Preston Sturgess film.
posted by Kattullus at 2:51 PM on November 28 [7 favorites]


Was just reminded of this -- I haven't listened to it, but I like the Incomparable crew and it promises to be interesting (for those of you who like the movie).

Doritos and Tequila: "In honor of Thanksgiving, we review the 1987 classic “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” featuring Steve Martin and John Candy as trapped-together travelers just trying to get home, if there’s even a home to get back to. Jason comes to the realization that this is the Odyssey in the Midwest. Ben Stein has a special sign just to troll pained travelers. And that’s what Thanksgiving is all about, Charlie Brown."
posted by Pedantzilla at 4:15 PM on November 28 [3 favorites]


Such a classic, and a great read! I would love to see that four hour cut one day! Happy American Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it!
posted by lock robster at 6:01 PM on November 28 [1 favorite]


One of my favourite movies. The pillows line is good, I hadn't known Candy improvised it. But the one that gets me every time; the one I anticipate hearing; is "How does he know where we're going" and Martin's little wave. Then the unclenching scene afterwards.

I love buddy road movies, they don't make enough of them.
posted by Mitheral at 6:44 PM on November 28 [1 favorite]


We've gotten a lot of good actors from Canada, but John Candy was in a class all his own. For some reason, when I think of John Candy, my thoughts go to Summer Rental - not the greatest movie, but a good one. Since I'd seen him on SCTV, I figured it would be something like that, straight up weird comedy. But it wasn't - he was in an odd space all his own, between real and comedy, balanced. The movie was way more moving than it had any right to be.

I miss John Candy.
posted by JustSayNoDawg at 7:01 PM on November 28 [6 favorites]


Lost in the Pond on "Planes, Trains and Automobiles": How US Thanksgiving Wasn't What I Expected.

(Not really related, but one reminds me of the other: Trains and Boats and Planes by Dionne Warwick)
posted by Rash at 7:44 PM on November 28 [2 favorites]


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