Planes, Trains and Automobiles - Still holds up

I don't care how cool Robert Downey Jr currently is, even when he was in the - sort of - remake of 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles,' it couldn't even come close to the original.  One thing that always strikes me about movies made in the eighties versus today's crop is how quickly they seem to get going.  Here, we don't get massive amounts of backstory about the two main players (Steve Martin and John Candy), we're just hurled into their lives at breakneck speed.

It's the day before Thanksgiving and Steve Martin has to travel from his high-flying job in New York city, home to his family in Chicago.  However, due to a freak snowstorm diverting his flight, he finds himself forced into an unlikely friendship with shower curtain salesman, John Candy.  It's a tale of the proverbial 'odd couple.' Martin is straight-laced and conforms to all tropes of 'the American Dream,' while Candy is - well - a slob.

What you have is a road movie that never slows down in terms of pace or laughs.  It's not a long movie (again, by today's standards).  Every twist and turn the pair take seems natural.  I know there will be some who will argue that - in real life - Martin would just 'ditch' a person like Candy at the earliest opportunity, so you may have to suspend your disbelief a little bit there if you subscribe to that way of thinking.

Otherwise, what you have is a comedy that still holds up today - a rare breed indeed for any film, let alone a comedy.  The gags are 'character and situation-based' which aids their longevity.  Today many movies go for 'pop culture' references which mean that you have to 'get' the reference at the time, or, if you're watching several years later, the gag needs to still be relevant.

It's a testament that a great film can be one without any major special effects or outlandish situations.  Here, you simply have the tale of two men travelling home for the holidays.  It all rests on the talent of the two stars and the chemistry between them.  Luckily, both are on form and it's hard to resist their charm (unless you're my Mum, who claimed that John Candy was just 'too annoying' to be funny - but I guess you can't please everyone!).

9/10 almost as perfect as The Godfather