53 - "Planes, Trains & Automobiles" (1987)

     Planes, Trains & Automobiles is a breath of fresh air. If I'm ever having a down time and need something to laugh at, I can always throw this movie on and all will be well for a little bit. Steve Martin is Neal Page, a businessman who is at a meeting in New York City and wants nothing more than to get home to his family in Chicago for Thanksgiving. When the meeting runs long he ends up in a race to get to the airport. He arrives just in time, only to have the plane delayed due to weather. This will be the first in a long line of travel misadventures for Neal. At the airport, Neal meets Del Griffith (the wonderful John Candy), a traveling salesman who is also on his way to Chicago. Del is a friendly man but he's one of those people who tries a little to hard to be your friend and can annoy people like Neal, who like to keep to themselves. It isn't long before the two have to depend on each other to travel as bad weather has shut down all flights. Can they make it home before they drive each other crazy? Planes, Trains & Automobiles has some of the funniest scenes in cinema history and Martin and Candy are brilliant together. It doesn't hurt that the director is 80's icon, John Hughes. Even with many repeated viewings, it keeps getting better each time. A true classic.