Planes, Trains and Automobiles - 4 stars - Best Thanksgiving Movie Ever!

Let's get one thing clear... there is only one movie to watch on Thanksgiving and that is "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"... (to be fair, Dutch is pretty good too... Al Bundy ftw... and ftw is short for "for the wolf"... thank you, Jake and Amir)

Not only is this the best Thanksgiving movie ever made (even though there aren't many to choose from)... this is one of the best comedies ever... and the reason this movie distances itself from other comedies, as John Hughes was soo good at doing with other gems like "Ferris Bueller", "Breakfast Club" and many more, you cared about the characters...

EXAMPLE - "The Hangover" was hilarious... but I didn't give two shits about any of the characters in the movie... that's not to say it was bad... it was really great, actually... but it doesn't reach the level of a classic like "PTA", a movie that has unlimited repeatability even 20 years after it was released... does anyone honestly think people will still be watching "The Hangover" 20 years from now? 10?

The difference is yesterdays comedy actors were also great ACTORS to begin with. They knew how to suck you in and get you on their side. We cared deeply for John Candy's character (he should have been nominated for an Oscar, I'm serious)... Del was the most annoying person in the world, but you knew he was a good man and a family man (even though his wife is dead)... and you cared for him... Steve Martin was the dick, but you knew his distaste for Candy didn't come from hate and he quickly realized the error of his ways, and so you cared for him too... the end result is a movie that you not only become invested in because it has a lot of great laughs, but you are also very strongly rooting for the characters to get home for Thanksgiving.

This is also John Hughes' best movie. His most entertaining is "Ferris Bueller"... his deepest and most powerful is "Breakfast Club"... but "PTA" is his best all around movie with the most satisfying ending...

Even though it is a Thanksgiving movie... it is a film you can watch at any time... you don't have to "be in the mood" to watch it... you just turn it on and you immediately get into the mood... not many movies do that, like ever

Finally... the movie's soundtrack is killer... whenever I go on a road trip of any kind, I always start it with this music below... Red River Rock by the Silicon Teens? Now that is a classic...




I'm thankful for everyone that takes the time to read my screwy blog... you all are the wind beneath my wings!!! TURKEY WINGS!!!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!