Planes, Trains and Automobiles

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Planes, Trains and Automobiles

R

1987

1h 32m

Holiday

Comedy

Adventure

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

92%

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65 Reviews

87%

Popcornmeter

100,000+ Ratings

Easily excitable Neal Page (Steve Martin) is somewhat of a control freak. Trying to get home to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his wife (Laila Robins) and kids, his flight is rerouted to a distant city in Kansas because of a freak snowstorm, and his sanity begins to fray. Worse yet, he is forced to bunk up with talkative Del Griffith (John Candy), whom he finds extremely annoying. Together they must overcome the insanity of holiday travel to reach their intended destination.

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Critics Consensus

Thanks to the impeccable chemistry between Steve Martin and John Candy, as well as a deft mix of humor and heart, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a hilarious, heartfelt holiday classic.

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Joe Pollack

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Apr 20, 2022

As recent variations of an age-old movie genre go, it is fairly good, but somehow you hope for more from Steve Martin and John Candy.

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Duane Byrge

The Hollywood Reporter

Nov 29, 2018

Mainstream audiences should readily identify with the series of tribulations and woes that befall the Everyman Martin in this good-natured, albeit predictable comedy.

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Marc Lee

Daily Telegraph (UK)

Dec 24, 2013

4/5

Planes,Trains and Automobiles is a very funny film.

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M.V. Moorhead

Phoenix Magazine

Nov 19, 2025

Like many Hughes films, it carries a whiff of his unapologetic sense of the suburban upper middle class as an aspirational paradise. But Planes, Trains and Automobiles squares off two of the greatest comic actors of their generation.

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Noah Gittell

Washington City Paper

Nov 25, 2024

What does ring true is the captivating acting, the zippy pace, and the big laughs that Martin and Candy earn through their gentle rapport.

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Kevin Carr

Fat Guys at the Movies

Nov 23, 2023

3.5/4

The quintessential mix of Thanksgiving anxiety, Steve Martin and John Candy antics, and John Hughes’ irreverent comedy.

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chad

Nov 26, 2025

Amazing movie touches the heart the soul, the human spirit! funny, happy, sad, and awesomeness!

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Andrew

Nov 28, 2024

Best Thanksgiving movie ever!

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Kathryn B

Nov 27, 2024

Great story and cast. Our grandsons first time to watch and they thoroughly enjoyed it! I forgot how stressful the first 1/2 hour is. The audience really laughed and enjoyed Steve Martin and John Candy.

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Chris

Jan 18, 2023

One of the funniest movies of the decade. A heartwarming comedy that will have you rolling with one big punch line after the next. Few comedies from the time have aged as well or remained as memorable.

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J

Nov 8, 2022

I really enjoyed the whole movie , it was a blast from the past .😊

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Mike

Nov 8, 2022

Great movie to watch to begin the holiday season. A classic.

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John Hughes

Director

Steve Martin

Neal Page

John Candy

Del Griffith

Laila Robins

Susan Page

Michael McKean

State Trooper

Kevin Bacon

Taxi Racer

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Synopsis

Easily excitable Neal Page (Steve Martin) is somewhat of a control freak. Trying to get home to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with his wife (Laila Robins) and kids, his flight is rerouted to a distant city in Kansas because of a freak snowstorm, and his sanity begins to fray. Worse yet, he is forced to bunk up with talkative Del Griffith (John Candy), whom he finds extremely annoying. Together they must overcome the insanity of holiday travel to reach their intended destination.

Director: John Hughes
Producer: John Hughes
Screenwriter: John Hughes
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Paramount Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Holiday, Comedy, Adventure
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Nov 27, 1987, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $48.2M
Runtime: 1h 32m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Dolby Stereo, Surround
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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