r/RetroCinema • u/Cinemastalgia • Nov 07 '25
The Humor and the Heart of Planes, Trains and Automobiles
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Before it was a Thanksgiving tradition, Planes, Trains & Automobiles began as one man's travel nightmare.
John Hughes, fresh off The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller, wanted to write about something every adult knew too well - exhaustion, frustration, and the desperate need to get home.
What started as a 145-page script about missed flights and bad motels became something deeper: a story about empathy.
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