Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

When buddy movies are discussed, this one usually comes up right at the outset. There's a damn good reason why. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is just about the world's most perfect buddy movie. Down to a science, every joke, every pratfall and every tearjerking moment is engineered to land on target every time. Most of that credit belongs to John Hughes, the defining filmmaker of the 1980's. But let's not forget Steve Martin and John Candy. Martin plays the uptight Neal Page. Candy plays the chatty, rotund Del Griffith. Together, it's the match made in comedy heaven, especially in 1987, when both comics were at their peak of greatness. It harkens back to the best material from Laurel and Hardy. Not to mention, Hughes plays with the agony of traveling horror stories, and cranks it up to 11. It's a gauntlet of bad luck, and every last gag cracked a huge smile on my face. It's really difficult to do slapstick correctly. If it's overdone, it's painful to watch. PTA accomplishes just enough subtlety and silliness to make all of the gags work. Any time of the year, but especially during the holidays, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is crowd pleasing, heartwarming viewing.