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A funny thing happened after John Hughes made Ferris Bueller's Day Off: he grew up, if only for a little while. 1987's Planes, Trains And Automobiles was his first adults only film, after years of producing movies geared towards teenagers, however thoughtful. It's also, in my opinion, his funniest. I can never decide between this film and Ferris Bueller, but after watching Planes Trains And Automobiles again, I think that's my final answer.

Utilizing the comedic talents of both Steve Martin and the late John Candy, Hughes has fashioned a comedy classic that will endure for years to come. Martin, who had hit his comic pinnacle a few months earlier writing and starring in Roxanne, plays Neil Page, a dedicated family man on his way from New York to Chicago to spend Thanksgiving with the loved ones. Against type, he plays straight man to Candy's slovenly but lovable Del Griffith. He's a traveling salesman who might be the end of Neil.

Planes, Trains And Automobiles becomes a cross between an old-time road picture and ultimately an odd couple story. From one traveling disaster to another, Hughes piles on the laughs so high that you can't help but still be laughing when the next joke hits you hard. This, along with the comedic drama Roxanne, were transitional for Martin, portraying a much more serious side without the outlandish, broad comedy strokes that had made him famous. With Candy, you get to see probably the best role of his career and if he's remembered for Planes, Trains And Automobiles, he'll be remembered fondly.

class="purple">Video: How Does The Disc Look?

As per usual for Paramount, the film has been mastered in high definition and downconverted to a nice looking anamorphic widescreen image. Colors are generally stable and natural looking with only momentary signs of oversaturation coming from brightly hued reds. Detail is often pleasing but softer than normal with film grain also visible. Blacks are good, but shadow detail falls just a hair short for the most part.

The film shows signs of age with occasional flecks and dirt seen on screen and not a lot of depth to the image, looking flat instead. Compression is, for the most part, well done with just a bit of compression pixel break up and slight edge enhancement is apparent. This is far more colorful a transfer than was used for either the VHS or LD releases of the film and is the best that I've seen the film look, it's just not a truly great transfer like I've seen Paramount produce more often than not.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

The audio has been remixed for Dolby Digital 5.1 and the result is better than what was accomplished with the video. Stereo imaging is wide across the front soundstage with clear dialog and spatial dynamics. The surrounds are used primarily for musical back up, but get the occasional split effect to match the visuals. The track actually sounds quite full where the music is concerned, filling the room appropriately. There's a .1 LFE track, but there really isn't anything for it to do. Overall this is a very enjoyable remix that sounds wonderfully updated while retaining the original feel. Quite unlike most Paramount titles there are no other audio tracks on the disc, English or otherwise, and only English captions.

class="purple">Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

There must be a thing with John Hughes and supplements because outside of the commentary he recorded for Ferris Bueller's Day Off and the trailer accompanying She's Having A Baby, his films on DVD have been completely devoid of any real supplements: Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Uncle Buck. To that list you must now add Planes, Trains And Automobiles, which is absolutely, positively devoid of any supplemental material. A real disappointment given the possibilities of the film.

Parting Thoughts

This is a really difficult one to recommend based solely on the DVD's merits. I love the film and would never think of not owning it, but for anyone not as passionate about the film, I'd have a hard time convincing you to spend the $30 on this featureless disc. This one's a letdown.

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