Review of Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) by Katherine C — 16 Nov 2018

Let's be clear here -- "Planes, Trains, And Automobiles" isn't just the best Thanksgiving movie of all time. It's John Hughes's best film and one of the greatest buddy movies ever made.

Let's parse through some of that a bit. First, there is not one other Thanksgiving movie (if you could even call that a sub-genre) that's as honest, meaningful, and as heartfelt as it is in its dealings of thematics, specifically those of what family truly means.

Hell, there's barely a better movie in general that deals with family, regardless of the Thanksgiving identifier. It's an inarguably masterful study on what it means to belong, the primacy of interpersonal connection, and -- the crowd-pleasingest of all thematic underpinnings -- the triumph of the human spirit.

Second, it's Hughes's best film simply because it's the funniest and most meaningful without me having to apologize for any element/scene/joke that wouldn't fly too well today because "I guess it was just a different time for humor, man.

" This is timeless. Full stop. No question. And it's one of the best buddy movies of all time because of the fact that the movie starts and even plays out -- until the end, that is -- with the two protagonistic characters being at each other's throats for most of the duration of the narrative.

But it doesn't matter. Because it's the resolution that resonates most in the audience's hearts. It's not about where the characters are going or where they started. It's about the journey towards the eventual friendship therein.

As far as holiday movies go, this is pure, unmitigated cream and an absolute masterpiece.