The Best Buddy Comedy Ever Made Lands a New Streaming Home Just in Time for Thanksgiving
The film once chosen by Roger Ebert as an essential Thanksgiving viewing has returned to streaming. John Hughes’ celebrated buddy comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles is now available on Paramount+, just in time for the holiday. The lineup also features other classics like Catch Me If You Can, Saturday Night Fever, and Hughes’ own Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.
Starring John Candy alongside Steve Martin, the iconic Thanksgiving comedy follows Neal Page, a businessman desperate to make it home to Chicago for the holiday. His straightforward trip turns into a series of chaotic detours, thanks to his overly talkative travel companion, Del Griffith, a shower curtain ring salesman.
According to Rotten Tomatoes, “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.”
Released during John Hughes’ creative peak, Planes, Trains and Automobiles represented a refreshing shift from his teen dramas, cementing its place as one of the most beloved comedies of its era.
Author’s Summary
This timeless buddy comedy by John Hughes returns to Paramount+, offering a humorous yet heartfelt reflection on travel mishaps and human connection during Thanksgiving.