students of jesus

The past two Wednesdays I’ve recommend that rarest of genres, Thanksgiving-themed movies. Today I proudly pay homage to the finest of the bunch.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles: John Hughes’ 1987 tale of two misfits trying to get home for Thanksgiving still fits like a pair of bedroom slippers. Steve Martin plays Neil Page, an uptight businessman thrown by outrageous fortune into the care of the eternally traveling salesman, Dell Griffith, played by John Candy. The most unlikely pair of fellow travelers and bunkmates, the two men bond in ways both manly and true. It’s true there’s one scene where Steve Martin drops the F-bomb at least a dozen times in a two-minute span—but I’m not going to lie to you—I even loved that scene. Beyond the comedy is a yearning for home, and we discover something about the bonds of family along the way. The final scene of the film not only welcomes both of them to the banqueting table, but us as well.