History Film / PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles

* TheCameo: Two from other John Hughes movies; KevinBacon competes with Neal for a car, and then [[Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff Ben Stein]] announces that all flights have been cancelled … and smiles. Finally, [[Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff Edie McClurg]] has to endure the F bomb rant

* TheCameo: Two from other John Hughes movies; KevinBacon competes with Neal for a car, and then [[Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff Ben Stein]] announces that all flights have been cancelled … and smiles.

** During the movie, scenes of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner being prepared are shown. [[spoiler:During TheStinger, you see the CEO of the company that Del was giving the ad spiel to at the beginning of the movie, ''still'' hasn't decided on which campaign to use, with the dinner on the conference table near him. And, he was played by William Windom, Kevin Bacon's father-in-law from ''She'sHavingABaby''.]]

** During the movie, scenes of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner being prepared are shown. [[spoiler:During TheStinger, you see the CEO of the company that Del was giving the ad spiel to at the beginning of the movie, ''still'' hasn't decided on which campaign to use, with the dinner on the conference table near him. And, he was played by William Windom, Kevin Bacon's father-in-law from ''She'sHavingABaby''.

* TheCameo: Two from other John Hughes movies; [[ShesHavingABaby Kevin Bacon]] competes with Neal for a car, and then [[Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff Ben Stein]] announces that all flights have been cancelled … and smiles.

** [[PrecisionFStrike Laser Guided Precision F Nuke]]: In the same scene, even.

* TalkingToTheDead: Del with [[spoiler: his former wife Marie]], after whose death eight years prior [[spoiler: he lost everything but a spotty job selling shower curtain rings.]]

Uptight advertising executive Neal Page just wants to get home to Chicago for UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay. Unfortunately, every mode of transportation somehow fails him and he is stuck with Del Griffith, a traveling shower curtain ring salesman who won't shut up. Through delayed planes, broken down trains and burned out automobiles Neal and Del go from at each other's throats to friends.

This film featured John Candy and Steve Martin in one of the best comedy performances of the 1980s. The film was directed by Creator/JohnHughes, best known for teen angst films until that time.

* AmoralAttorney: The lawyer at the start.
* TheAllegedCar: After being sideswiped by two semi-trucks simultaneously and set on fire, it still ran.

--> '''Del:''' Funny enough, I was just talking to my friend about that. Our speedometer has melted and as a result it's very hard to see with any degree of accuracy exactly how fast we were going.

* CaliforniaDoubling: Averted. The film was shot on location in New York, Wichita, St. Louis and Chicago.
* TheCameo: Two from other John Hughes movies; [[ShesHavingABaby Kevin Bacon]] competes with Neal for a car, and then [[Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff Ben Stein]] announces that all flights have been cancelled...and smiles.

** Same with ''Dutch,'' another movie about a pair of dissimilar people from different class backgrounds struggling to get home to Chicago for [[ThanskgivingEpisode Thanksgiving]]... And ''also'' written by John Hughes.
* GroinAttack: "I've never seen a man picked up by his testicles before..."

* NiceHat: Neil, until he goes ballistic over his rental car not being there. Del has one, too.

* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Neil gives a very harsh one to Del during their first night together.

* TalkingToTheDead

** And funny enough, there is a cellular phone ad at the L-Train stop at the end of the film. Also worth noting Due Date borrows quite heavily from this film, and that's from 2010.

*** ... but it ''would'' have made some of the troubles associated with those situations resolve much more quickly - for example: [[spoiler: on finding that the car he rented didn't exist, Neal could have called the rental company for a pick up]].

This film featured John Candy and Steve Martin in one of the best comedy performances of the 1980s. The film was directed by JohnHughes, best known for teen angst films until that time.

** Neal may have been able to contact his wife but he would still have had the inability to get home in time for Thanksgiving; which was his biggest worry throughout the film. A phone wouldn't have made the planes run on time or stopped his car from catching fire.

* TechnologyMarchesOn: If mobile phones were as common back when this movie was made like they are today, this would have been a very short movie.

* OneSceneWonder:
** Edie [=McClurg=]. See ClusterFBomb.
** And Kevin Bacon.
** And [=Michael McKean=].
*** In fact almost the entire cast could count as this as only SteveMartin and JohnCandy are in more than at most three scenes.

** [[TheChewToy And]] [[PlayedForLaughs THAT]] [[FinaglesLaw MEANS]] [[BeyondTheImpossible EVERYTHING.]]

** Neal may have been able to contact his wife but he would still have had the inability to get home in time for Thanksgiving; which was his biggest worry throughout the film. A phone wouldn't have made the planes run on time or stop his car from catching fire.

** [[PrecisionFStrike Laser Guided Precision F Nuke]]: In the same scene, even. Just [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US18DpeieVs watch it]], you'll understand.

Uptight advertising executive Neal Page just wants to get home to Chicago for {{Thanksgiving}}. Unfortunately, every mode of transportation somehow fails him and he is stuck with Del Griffith, a traveling shower curtain ring salesman who won't shut up. Through delayed planes, broken down trains and burned out automobiles Neal and Del go from at each other's throats to friends.

** Same with ''Dutch,'' another movie about a pair of dissimilar people from different class backgrounds struggling to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving... And ''also'' written by John Hughes.

*** Neal may have been able to contact his wife but he would still have had the inability to get home in time for Thanksgiving; which was his biggest worry throughout the film. A phone wouldn't have made the planes run on time or stop his car from catching fire.

* Bookends: Neal's boss mulling over the pictures.

* NewspaperThinDisguise: Used by Del in the airport

* TheCameo: Two from other John Hughes movies; [[ShesHavingABaby Kevin Bacon]] competes with Neal for a car, and then [[FerrisBuellersDayOff Ben Stein]] announces that all flights have been cancelled...and smiles.