History Film / PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles

* AmoralAttorney: The lawyer at the start who gets paid for Neal to take a cab ride he doesn't end up getting due to Del.

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Averted if you're paying attention. When driving from St. Louis to Chicago, it would normally take about 6 hours, but they drive from what looks like early evening deep into the night and then drive for a while in the morning before being told that they are still 3 hours away from Chicago. However, [[FreezeFrameBonus if you look at the officer's State Trooper badges]] and the name of the truck's company, you'll see where they are. [[WrongTurnAtAlbuquerque They went into the middle of Wisconsin.]] In fact, Del's black eye originally came from Neil's anger at him over this instead of a paranoid truck driver refusing them a ride.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: During their first night together, Neil and Del each have a go at each other. Del points out that Neil is pretty impatient to be unable to put up with a flawed stranger. Neil also doesn't sugarcoat that Del isn't a picnic either, being ''exceptionally'' flawed.

* ComedicWorkSeriousScene: For a comedy-of-errors film about the misadventures of two strangers working together to make it home for Thanksgiving, the reveal toward the end that Del [[spoiler: is a widower]] is a real downer, especially when flashing back to his, "My wife likes me" during his earlier rebuttal of a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech from Neal.

* EstablishingCharacterMoment
** Neil's first appearance on screen has him checking his watch while in a high-class business meeting at a fancy office complex in Manhattan, then glancing at a couple of airplane tickets in front of him. Right away, this tells us all three things we need to know about him: one, he's rich; two, he's impatient; and three, he values his time with his family.

--->'''Del:''' But I guess that's not going to happen. [[spoiler: [[DeadAllAlong Not now, anyway.]] ]]

-->'''Neal''': "Oh boy" ''what''?\\
'''Car Rental Lady''': You're ''fucked''.

* TheStinger: After the credits Neil's company's client is still at his desk analyzing the ads, his Thanksgiving dinner sitting uneaten on his desk.

* BigFun: Part of the film's {{Deconstruction}} of buddy comedies. On the surface, Del seems like a classic case of this, a big man who easily gets along with people and loves cracking jokes. However, Neal can't stand Del's cheery attitude at first, prompting a conflict between the two of them where Del defends why he acts the way he does and calls out Neal for being cynical. Later, we find out [[spoiler: Del's wife has been DeadAllAlong and he's been lying about it]], showing the sadness at the heart of Del's seemingly happy-go-lucky character.

** Then there are three actors who appeared in ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''. Lyman Ward (Ferris's father) is Neal's coworker who predicts that he'll never make the 6 o'clock flight from New York. Creator/BenStein ("Bueller? Bueller?") is the Wichita airport rep who announces the cancellation of all flights to Chicago... and smiles. Finally, Creator/EdieMcClurg (Principal Rooney's secretary) is the car-rental clerk who has to endure Neal's F-bomb rant.

* CharacterDevelopment

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

* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: In Kansas, Neal lists this catalogue of Del's sins against his sanity: spilling beer all over the bed, smoking and messing up the bathroom (all in the hotel), not paying for his share of the stay, and talking nonstop on the plane from UsefulNotes/{{New York|City}}. [[RantInducingSlight It's the latter that angers him more than anything else]].

* ComedicWorkSeriousScene: For a comedy-of-errors film about the misadventures of two strangers working together to make it home for Thanksgiving, the reveal toward the end that Del [[spoiler: is a widower]] is a real downer, especially when flashing back to his, "My wife likes me" during his earlier rebuttal of a TheReasonYouSuck speech from Neal.

** A lesser example is when Del, seeing that Neal could get a motel room for about half the cost of rent plus his expensive watch, offers the motel clerk a couple of dollars and a cheap watch hoping for the same result. The clerk (politely) tells Dell to get lost. The next scene is Dell sitting in the burned remains of his rental car on a snowy night, with no windows or roof.

-->'''Neal:''' You know, everything is not an anecdote. You have to discriminate. You choose things that are funny or mildly amusing or interesting. You're a miracle! Your stories have ''NONE'' of that. They're not even amusing ''ACCIDENTALLY''! "Honey, I'd like you to meet Del Griffith, he's got some amusing anecdotes for you. Oh, and here's a gun so you can blow your brains out. You'll thank me for it." I could tolerate any insurance seminar. For days I could sit there and listen to them go on and on with a big smile on my face. They'd say, "How can you stand it?" I'd say, "'Cause I've been with Del Griffith. I can take ''ANYTHING''." You know what they'd say? They'd say, "[[EveryoneHasStandards I know what you mean. The shower curtain ring guy. Woah.]]" It's like going on a date with a Chatty Cathy doll. I expect you have a little string on your chest, you know, that I pull out and have to snap back. Except I wouldn't pull it out and snap it back -- you would. Agh! Agh! Agh! Agh! And by the way, you know, when you're telling these little stories? Here's a good idea: have a ''point''. It makes it ''SO'' much more interesting for the listener!

[[spoiler:-->'''Del:''' I don't have a home. Marie's been dead for eight years.]]

** For what started out as a light buddy comedy, this one packs an unexpectedly huge wallop: [[spoiler:"I don't have a home. Marie's been dead for eight years."]]

** The movie Mrs. Page watches on TV early on in the film is actually Creator/JohnHughes' next film ''She's Having a Baby''.

* PsychoStrings: Del: "Hey, Neal, take my socks out of the sink if you're going to brush your teeth."

* ArtisticLicenseGeography: Averted if you're paying attention. When driving from St. Louis to Chicago, it would normally take about 6 hours, but they drive from what looks like early evening deep into the night and then drive for a while in the morning before being told that they are still 3 hours away from Chicago. However, [[FreezeFrameBonus if you look at the officer's State Trooper badges]] and the name of the truck's company, you'll see where they are. They went into the middle of Wisconsin. In fact, Del's black eye originally came from Neil's anger at him over this instead of a paranoid truck driver refusing them a ride.

* RealityEnsues: When the state trooper tells Del that the burned-up rental car will have to be impounded, he tells the trooper that if he isn't allowed to keep the car, he won't be able to get Neal home for Thanksgiving on time. Neal has a hopeful look and the trooper seems friendly enough. The next scene cuts to a tow truck impounding the burned-up car.
** A lesser example is when Del, seeing that Neal could get a motel room for about half the cost of rent plus his expensive watch, offers the motel clerk a couple of dollars and a cheap watch hoping for the same result. The clerk (politely) tells Dell to get lost. The next scene is Dell sitting in the burned remains of his rental car on a snowy night, with no windows or roof.

* RealityEnsues: When the state trooper tells Dell that the burned-up rental car will have to be impounded, he tells the trooper that if he isn't allowed to keep the car, he won't be able to get Neal home for Thanksgiving on time. Neal has a hopeful look and the trooper seems friendly enough. The next scene cuts to a tow truck impounding the burned-up car.
** A lesser example is when Dell, seeing that Neal could get a motel room for about half the cost of rent plus his expensive watch, offers the motel clerk a couple of dollars and a cheap watch hoping for the same result. The clerk (politely) tells Dell to get lost. The next scene is Dell sitting in the burned remains of his rental car on a snowy night, with no windows or roof.

Uptight advertising executive Neal Page (Martin) just wants to get home to UsefulNotes/{{Chicago}} for UsefulNotes/ThanksgivingDay. Unfortunately, every mode of transportation somehow fails him and he is stuck with Del Griffith (Candy), a garrulous traveling shower curtain ring salesman who doesn't quite know when to shut up. Over the course of three days--through delayed planes, broken-down trains, and burned-out automobiles, among other mishaps--Neal and Del progress from being at each other's throats to developing an [[OddFriendship unlikely friendship]].

** Then there are three actors who appeared in ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''. Lyman Ward (Ferris's father) is Neal's coworker who predicts he'll never make the 6 o'clock flight from New York. Creator/BenStein ("Bueller? Bueller?") is the Wichita airport rep who announces that all flights have been cancelled... and smiles. Finally, Creator/EdieMcClurg (Principal Rooney's secretary) is the car-rental clerk who has to endure Neal's F-bomb rant.

** Then there are three actors who appeared in ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''. Lyman Ward (Ferris's father) is Neal's coworker who predicts he'll never make the 6 o'clock flight from New York. Creator/BenStein ("Bueller? Bueller?") is the guy at the Wichita airport who announces that all flights have been cancelled... and smiles. Finally, Creator/EdieMcClurg (Principal Rooney's secretary) is the car-rental clerk who has to endure Neal's F-bomb rant.

** Then there are three actors who appeared in ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''. Lyman Ward (Ferris's father) is Neal's coworker who predicts he'll never make the 6 o'clock flight. Creator/BenStein ("Bueller? Bueller?") is the guy at the Wichita airport who announces that all flights have been cancelled... and smiles. Finally, Creator/EdieMcClurg (Principal Rooney's secretary) is the car-rental clerk who has to endure Neal's F-bomb rant.

** Then there are three actors who appeared in ''Film/FerrisBuellersDayOff''. Lyman Ward (Ferris's father) is Neal's coworker who doesn't think he'll make the 6 o'clock flight. Creator/BenStein ("Bueller? Bueller?") announces that all flights have been cancelled... and smiles. Finally, Creator/EdieMcClurg (Principal Rooney's secretary) is the car-rental clerk who has to endure Neal's F-bomb rant.