Planes, Trains and Autos: A Truly Great American Film

[MrSilverMaC]

One night a few years after "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" was released, I came upon John Candy (1950-1994) sitting all by himself in a hotel bar in New York, smoking and drinking, and we talked for a while. We were going to be on the same TV show the next day. He was depressed. People loved him, but he didn't seem to know that, or it wasn't enough. He was a sweet guy and nobody had a word to say against him, but he was down on himself. All he wanted to do was make people laugh, but sometimes he tried too hard, and he hated himself for doing that in some of his movies. I thought of Del. There is so much truth in the role that it transforms the whole movie. Hughes knew it, and captured it again in "Only the Lonely" (1991). And Steve Martin knew it, and played straight to it.

That part is heartbreaking. I was very sad when Candy died. I felt the same way when Farley died (though Farley was quite a bit more responsible for his own death.)

I don't know if I have ever watched this movie in full, though I do remember scenes I have seen from it.

[mjah]

I think he died before he had a chance to branch out into more dramatic work.

I'll always wonder whether John Candy would have developed a great "post-career" career, a la Bill Murray, playing against the goofy-comedy type. Like Murray has, Candy did his best work in his more serious scenes.

I never would have expected Bill Murray to have that string of great performances between Rushmore and the present day. It seems that several of those early SNL favorites have made fascinating transitions to more subdued, obviously older, variegated characters, and it would have been great to see John Candy's, John Belushi's, and Gilda Radner's later work. I imagine much of it would have been pretty spectacular.

Sigh...

[NavyDave]

Never liked that movie, didn't like John Candy, and Steve Martin rarely makes me laugh.

I find that hard to believe.

[Dan T.]

I'll always wonder whether John Candy would have developed a great "post-career" career, a la Bill Murray, playing against the goofy-comedy type. Like Murray has, Candy did his best work in his more serious scenes.

I never would have expected Bill Murray to have that string of great performances between Rushmore and the present day. It seems that several of those early SNL favorites have made fascinating transitions to more subdued, obviously older, variegated characters, and it would have been great to see John Candy's, John Belushi's, and Gilda Radner's later work. I imagine much of it would have been pretty spectacular.

Sigh...

Candy would have been a good bet to transition gracefully into more dramatic roles.

Akroyd did it. He was nominated for an Oscar for "Driving Miss Daisy". Eddie Murphy was okay in some dramatic roles. Other comedians have made the transition. Robin Williams has been better in his dramatic roles (Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets, Moscow on the Hudson) than in any comedic role. Jim Carrey gave a credible performance in The Truman Show, and he's gotten decent reviews in other dramatic roles. Even Adam Sandler (an SNL alum I forgot about) does pretty well in Funny People, Spanglish, and Reign Over Me. Ray Romano has had some good dramatic turns.

[Barney B]

Candy would have been a good bet to transition gracefully into more dramatic roles.

Akroyd did it. He was nominated for an Oscar for "Driving Miss Daisy". Eddie Murphy was okay in some dramatic roles. Other comedians have made the transition. Robin Williams has been better in his dramatic roles (Good Will Hunting, Dead Poets, Moscow on the Hudson) than in any comedic role. Jim Carrey gave a credible performance in The Truman Show, and he's gotten decent reviews in other dramatic roles. Even Adam Sandler (an SNL alum I forgot about) does pretty well in Funny People, Spanglish, and Reign Over Me. Ray Romano has had some good dramatic turns.

Surely. I'd add that Candy did pathos as well or better than any of the above names. The greatest challenge for him might've been finding roles to suit his set of physical attributes, but to see him in P,T & A is to believe he could've done it. Also loved him with Tom Hanks in "Splash", BTW.

And Ghost, good call. :cool:

[Ghost of]

Surely. I'd add that Candy did pathos as well or better than any of the above names. The greatest challenge for him might've been finding roles to suit his set of physical attributes,

And Ghost, good call. :cool:

Thanks!

I definitely agree with you. One of the reasons PTA is so great is because of Candy's pathos. Even the last moment of the movie where you see him, without a word, confronting his deep sadness but taking pleasure in seeing a complete and happy family is heartbreaking (while being positive, too.)

Candy's only issue would have been his size because even in JFK, he does well with a serious role that is totally different than his others. And yet that performance seems to echo some of his SCTV work.

He was a great comic actor whose oeuvre had some really standout performances but had not yet reached the quality of the actual talent and presence of Candy. It's unfortunate that his smoking and eating seem to have contributed so heavily to his death because he was capable of so much more.

I think he had a hell of a lot more range than, say, Murray.