History Film / PlanesTrainsAndAutomobiles

* {{Deconstruction}}: Of the OddCouple trope. Neal has no choice but to cooperate with Del because of how resourceful Del is and any time he tries to stake out on his own, things get much, much worse. He also doesn't [[SecondActBreakup wait until the third act to tell Del what a pain in the ass he can be]], which makes Del more self-conscious of his behavior so he'll go easier on Neal throughout their journey while also telling him point blank that [[IAmWhatIAm he has no choice but to learn to love him]]. The whole thing makes the TeethClenchedTeamwork more believable.

* RealityEnsues: After being pulled over for speeding (due to not knowing the actual speed because of the melted speedometer), Del says that if the car is impounded due to being unfit for the road from the fire damage, he won't be able to get Neal home in time for Thanksgiving. The car is impounded anyway.

* NiceGuy: While traveling with Del is not at all the most pleasant experience, he is definitely one of the most pleasant and resourceful people you could ever meet.

** Del, meanwhile, is a slob with implied body odor problems, and is well aware of his problem with taking cues from people who aren't in the mood to be sociable. However, while traveling with him may not always be pleasant, he has a big heart and is still the friendliest, most helpful, not to mention resourceful, guys you could ever hope to meet (not unlike [[Creator/JohnCandy the actor portraying him]] was said to have been).

* NiceGuy: While traveling with Del is not at all the most pleasant experience, he is definitely one of the nicest, friendliest, most helpful and resourceful people you could ever meet.

* {{Leitmotif}}: A particular mofit (that mostly uses a harmonica) plays on almost every scene where another problem occurs that impedes Neal from getting home (the train stopping, the rented car not existing, ''having to go to court''...)

** During the movie, scenes of a traditional Thanksgiving dinner being prepared are shown. [[spoiler: During TheStinger, you see the CEO of the company that Neal 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's Having A Baby''.]]

* {{Deconstruction}}: Of the OddCouple trope (not [[Theatre/TheOddCouple the play/movie/TV show]]). Neal has no choice but to cooperate with Del because of how resourceful Del is and any time he tries to stake out on his own, things get much, much worse. He also doesn't [[SecondActBreakup wait until the third act to tell Del what a pain in the ass he can be]], which makes Del more self-conscious of his behavior so he'll go easier on Neal throughout their journey while also telling him point blank that [[IAmWhatIAm he has no choice but to learn to love him]]. The whole thing makes the TeethClenchedTeamwork more believable.

** [[spoiler: "I haven't been home for years."]]

* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: Averted if 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 Illinois.

* {{Dramedy}}: The film starts out as a broadly rollicking comedy but [[ToneShift evolves into this]] as it progresses.

* WritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: Averted if 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 Wisconsin.

** The second is [[spoiler:on the freeway when their car drives the wrong way between two trucks and Neal sees Del as the Devil doing an EvilLaugh.]]

This 1987 film featured Creator/SteveMartin and Creator/JohnCandy in two of the best comedy performances of [[TheEighties the 1980s]]. It was written and directed by Creator/JohnHughes, best known for teen angst films until that time, and is regarded by many as his magnum opus. Both Martin and Candy called it their favorite of their own performances.

* ClusterFBomb: Neal's passive-aggressive rant, which contains just about every variation on the word "fuck," to the car-rental clerk, who [[spoiler:[[BewareTheNiceOnes replies with]] a [[PrecisionFStrike laser-guided precision F nuke]]]].
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of the OddCouple trope (not [[Theatre/TheOddCouple the play/movie/TV show]]). Neil has no choice but to cooperate with Del because of how resourceful Del is and any time he tries to stake out on his own, things get much, much worse. He also doesn't [[SecondActBreakup wait until the third act to tell Del what a pain in the ass he can be]], which makes Del more self-conscious of his behavior so he'll go easier on Neil throughout their journey while also telling Neil point blank that [[IAmWhatIAm he has no choice but to learn to love him]]. The whole thing makes the TeethClenchedTeamwork more believable.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Del references the trope when Neal explodes when Del is clearing his sinuses, by asking him indignantly, "If your kid spills his milk, do you slap him?"

** [[spoiler: "I haven't been home in years."]]
** The face Del makes when [[spoiler:Neal says he's lucky to have a wife to grow old with.]]

* FromBadToWorse: After Neal misses his cab at the start everything goes downhill. [[SerialEscalation And THAT]] [[FinaglesLaw MEANS EVERYTHING.]]

* IfIWantedXIWouldY: "If I wanted a joke I'd follow you into the john and watch you take a leak."

** The second is [[spoiler:on the freeway when their car drives the wrong way between two trucks and Nel sees Del as the Devil doing an EvilLaugh.]]

** Neal in St. Louis when he realises the cab dispatcher is [[GroinAttack about to whack him where it hurts]].

* StepfordSmiler: Del is revealed to be one of these.

The film is probably best known for the sole scene responsible for its R rating; in which Neal, after being abandoned in a rental car parking lot where the car he rented isn't there, is forced to walk three miles back to the airport, whereupon he goes on a [[ClusterFBomb tirade]] against the rental agent. But it is not so much said tirade, as [[CrowningMomentOfFunny the rental agent's response to it]]. Creator/RogerEbert probably puts it best:

* DrowningMySorrows: Inverted on the last night. Delving into Del's extensive collection of airline liquors, the men [[INeedADrink get drunk to reflect on their disastrous journey]]. But they both enjoy genuine fellowship and have a great time.

** The face he makes when [[spoiler:Neal says he's lucky to have a wife to grow old with.]]

* GenreSavvy: When Neil calls his family at the airport, his daughter accurately predicts, "Flight delay."

* HiddenDepths: Del, and how. [[spoiler:He finally reveals to Neal, at the end, that his wife's been dead for eight years, and he himself is a homeless drifter.]]

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne: It's subtle, but when Neil tells Del that his stories are boring, Del stops arguing back for a good minute and starts breathing more heavily, as if he's about to cry. The implication is that Neil went too far by making the argument personal.

* TalkingToTheDead: Del with [[spoiler: his late wife Marie]].

* FreezeFrameBonus: All of the medicine Del puts on the hotel bathroom sink are [[{{Gashole}} bowel and/or gas related]].

* FreezeFrameEnding: The film ends with a freeze frame shot on the smiling face of Creator/JohnCandy's character.

** Neal realizes he forgot his gloves at the office while in a hurry to catch his flight, but figures he won't need them as he'll be home soon. He eventually winds up on a forty mile ride in the back of a pickup truck in freezing weather without them. He actually sees some gloves back there with him he could use...if not for the AngryGuardDog.

* TalkingToTheDead: Del with [[spoiler: his former wife Marie]].

* {{Bowdlerise}}: TV airings of the film redub the entire scene where Neal chews out the lady at the airport to remove all of the swearing.

* WardrobeFlawOfCharacterization: It's subtle, but the viewer can tell that John Candy's traveling salesman character's suit is off-the-rack and made of a synthetic material, especially by contrast with Steve Martin's successful, wealthy character, who wears one made of fine wool that looks custom-tailored.