What better way to spend Thanksgiving Day than catching up on a classic comedy movie with your fam? Particularly, if it stars Steve Martin and the late John Candy. Yes, we are talking about the iconic Thanksgiving movie, Planes, Trains and Automobiles. A prolific actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician, Martin is a legend of comedy and his movies are an experience of their own kind, like this hilarious adventure flick. Planes, Trains and Automobiles follows Neal Page, an eccentric marketing executive who needs to reach home for Thanksgiving in no time. But when his flight gets delayed, and he meets an annoying salesman, Del Griffith, it leads to a series of misadventures and a journey that they’ll never forget. The 1987 feature film is written, directed, and produced by John Hughes, a filmmaker best known for his hugely successful comedies like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Home Alone, The Breakfast Club, Dennis the Menace, and more. Over thirty years later, Planes, Trains and Automobiles remains one of his most popular titles and one of the best Thanksgiving movies ever made.

The cast of the comedy classic is equally unforgettable. Steve Martin and John Candy lead the cast as the protagonists, Neal Page and Del Griffith, respectively, along with Laila Robins, Michael McKean, Dylan Page, Larry Hankin, Richard Herd, and Diana Dill, in various roles, among others. The movie also has a young Kevin Bacon in an unnamed role (credited as "Man running for Taxi"). With a great cast and exceptional performances, as well as a soundtrack featuring classic pop, country, and rock and roll, Planes, Trains and Automobiles was critically acclaimed upon release and has continued to gain fans ever since. In fact, the movie has become kind of a Thanksgiving tradition for many.

If you have watched this movie before, we are sure you would love to rewatch this classic comedy, because, let’s admit it, we can never get enough of Steve Martin or John Candy (this writer included). And if you haven’t, then no better time to catch up on this movie than this Thanksgiving. Find out how you can watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and where it's available for streaming online.

When Was 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' First Released?

Planes, Trains and Automobiles was released as a holiday special on the day before Thanksgiving, on November 25, 1987.

Is 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' Available on Streaming?

Yes, fortunately, most of these popular titles have finally landed on various streaming platforms, so everybody gets a chance to watch them. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is available for streaming on a number of services, including Paramount+.

Watch on Paramount+For those without a Paramount+ subscription who don't want to get one, there's also an option to watch Planes, Trains and Automobiles for free this Thanksgiving. The film is streaming for free on Pluto TV throughout November and December. On Thanksgiving Day, i.e. November 23, 2023, you can also catch the movie live at 8pm ET on Pluto TV Comedy.

Watch on Pluto TV

Is 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' Available on DVD and Blu-ray?

The first DVD for Planes, Trains and Automobiles was released in November 2000, followed by its first Blu-ray release in September 2011. In October 2022, Paramount Home Media Distribution announced that a 4K Blu-ray of Planes, Trains and Automobiles would arrive in November 2022. The latest restored version is said to include never-before-seen deleted and extended scenes that were recently discovered. The new footage also includes a peek into the behind-the-scenes clips of the filmmaking and editing, as well as some bloopers featuring Steve Martin and John Candy. Now, that’s a bonus that we didn’t know we needed! So, even for those who watched the movie in the theaters when it was released, the latest 4K edition will definitely amp up your movie experience. Get the restored 4K Blu-ray on Amazon with the following link:

Buy on Amazon

The comedy classic is also available as a part of Paramount Pictures' collection "I Love 80s Movies: John Hughes Classic 80s", which also includes Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and Some Kind of Wonderful.

What Is 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' About?

In short, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is the story of two oddball men on an outrageous cross-country journey. But there’s more to it than that and the little nuances of the characters played by the respective actors make all the difference to the story. Neal Page is a Chicago-based ad-man on a business trip to New York City who is desperate to catch a flight back home to his family for Thanksgiving. He is extremely high-strung and eccentric, and more than a little impatient. Can you picture Steve Martin playing a character like that? Of course, you can, it’s hysterical! After a meeting that runs late, Neal struggles to reach the airport, and just as he hails a cab, it’s snatched away by another man. When the flight he’s supposed to catch gets delayed, he finds himself stranded with the same man who “stole his cab”, Del Griffith. Del is a rambling and obnoxious salesman who sells shower curtains. And yes, John Candy is a delight in the role.

The rest, as you can imagine, is not what Neal had anticipated, but he has no choice but to get through the trip, just because he needs to get home in time for Thanksgiving. With further mishaps that ensue, the two strangers embark on a cross-country adventure (or rather, misadventure) filled with outrageous events, situations, and a subtle dose of strange bro-bonding. For the finer details, catch the adventures of Martin and Candy on a three-day journey from New York to Chicago, and have a happy, hilarious Thanksgiving!

More Thanksgiving Comedies You Can Watch Right Now

Holiday-themed movies are a dime a dozen but only a few of them stand out as all-time favorites, like Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Check out other titles in the same genre that revolve around Turkey Day and some crazy fun.

Grumpy Old Men (1993)

This 1993 romantic comedy features comedy legends Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon as the titular men and quarreling neighbors who are always at each other’s throats. But when an attractive professor, played by Ann-Margret, moves in across the street, these two feuding men put on their best behaviors to win the beautiful woman over. But in the process, they also never stop pulling pranks on each other. The endearing comedy between two frenemies is surely something to watch with the whole family. There’s also a sequel, titled, Grumpier Old Men, that you could also watch. Directed by Donald Petrie, Grumpy Old Men also stars Burgess Meredith, Daryl Hannah, Kevin Pollak, Ossie Davis, and Buck Henry.

Watch on Paramount+

Dutch (1991)

Another Thanksgiving-themed road comedy, Dutch follows Dutch Dooley, who takes the responsibility of picking up his girlfriend’s son Doyle from boarding school for Thanksgiving. The catch? Doyle is an entitled and stubborn brat who doesn’t want to go home, let alone with a middle-class man like Dutch. But Dutch must please his girlfriend and prove himself to be a good father figure to Doyle. So he does what he has to and drags the kid on a road trip that includes a series of funny and questionable hijinks. Written and produced by John Hughes, and directed by Peter Faiman, Dutch stars Ed O’Neill as Dutch, along with Ethan Embry, JoBeth Williams, Christopher McDonald, Ari Meyers, and Elizabeth Daily.

Watch on Max

Home for the Holidays (1995)

This 1995 holiday comedy lets you watch a young Robert Downey Jr. in action. The family movie follows Claudia, a single mother who, after losing her job and learning that her only daughter has Thanksgiving plans of her own, decides to spend the holiday with her dysfunctional family. But things start to take a chaotic turn at the family home when her brother Tommy turns up with his friend Leo, instead of his boyfriend Jack, and everyone finds themselves in an unexpectedly awkward situation. Directed by Jodie Foster, in her third directorial venture, Home for the Holidays features an ensemble cast, with Holly Hunter as Claudia, Robert Downey Jr. as Tommy, and Dylan McDermott as Leo, along with Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Claire Danes, Geraldine Chaplin, among others.

Watch on Paramount+