There are hundreds of Halloween movies, a vast collection of Christmas flicks and even a few Valentine’s Day motion pictures to enjoy throughout the various seasons.

This got me thinking — where are the Thanksgiving specials? Why aren’t there more movies about or around Thanksgiving? To be quite frank, football and food have always dominated Turkey Day culture, so it’s not a surprise there haven’t been a ton of movies about it. I mean let’s be real, it’s not like the story of Squanto teaching pilgrims how to plant corn is particularly riveting. And it’s not like anyone is all that interested in tales from the backyard gridiron or how to stuff a turkey.

Surely, there must be a family friendly movie to throw on this Thanksgiving weekend.

Enter “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” written, produced and directed by John Hughes. Starring John Candy and Steve Martin, “Planes” tells the story of two businessmen traveling from New York to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Anything and everything goes wrong for the duo during their journey, including flight delays, train wrecks and car chaos.

As a background for those who aren’t familiar, Hughes owned the 1980s when it came to family feel-good classics. Whether it was “The Breakfast Club,” “Home Alone” or “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” Hughes commanded the “angsty teen” crowd long before the likes of Kurt Cobain and Morrissey. His focus on the seemingly mundane lives of suburban Americans projected a new narrative for nerds, jocks and cheerleaders alike, showing them as more than just types, but as kids. He was by no means a Steven Spielberg or an Alfred Hitchcock, but his simplistic approach to small town America through humble representations of its constituents added a human element to an otherwise commercial era of entertainment.

Hughes’ greatest feat, however, did not depict puberty, running away from home, awkward first kisses or senior prom. Nor did it star Molly Ringwald or Anthony Michael Hall. Employing a much more mature brand of comedy, and ultimately eschewing youth altogether, “Planes” may be his best work.

“Planes” is wonderfully casted. Candy and Martin play perfectly off of each other, with Martin essentially reprising his role from “The Jerk.” Candy is hilarious as a struggling shower ring salesman, whose hijinks on the road mirror that of Chris Farley in “Tommy Boy.” With Martin as the straight man and the loudmouthed, rumpus Candy as the funny guy, “Planes” has bits of comedy for every viewer.

While the comedy in “Planes” is timeless, the heart behind the final act of the movie proves to be the single defining feature that both separates itself from other Hughes flicks, and distinguishes this movie as a feel good holiday classic. Throughout “Planes,” Steve Martin is materialistic and work-oriented. He is distant from his family and genuinely unkind to most people he encounters in his travels. Through Candy’s kindheartedness and humility, Martin eventually realizes that family is more important than work. This social comment disguised as a moral dilemma puts “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” in a different category from other John Hughes movies, despite its comedic approach and Chicagoan setting.

Published on November 24, 2016 at 9:41 am