THE REWATCHABLES · November 29, 2022
A 1987 comedy / buddy directed by John Hughes, covered in the complete Rewatchables archive.
ON THIS EPISODE
FROM THE CONVERSATION
WHY IT WORKS
WHAT DID NOT WORK
SCENES THEY KEPT COMING BACK TO
The film starts with missed flights, a Kevin Bacon cameo, and Del stealing a cab, quickly establishing momentum.
Opening minutesThe one-bed hotel setup escalates into the iconic ‘those aren’t pillows’ scene.
About 8 minNeil’s profanity-laced breakdown is singled out as a major comedic set piece.
About 16 minThe back-and-forth in the car over ball-handing becomes one of the show’s favorite quoted bits.
About 16 minThe road-trip detour where Del keeps driving the wrong direction is treated as one of the funniest stretches.
About 16 minThe drunk bonding sequence is treated as the emotional bridge between annoyance and friendship.
About 16 min · medium confidenceThe ending’s reveal that Del has no home and the goodbye scene are treated as deeply moving.
About 24 minWHERE THEY DISAGREED
Bill SimmonsProbably not; he just avoids going home because it reminds him of his wife.
Van LathanHe is probably not homeless; the line means he has a home but cannot emotionally return to it.
Bill SimmonsThe cut version is best, though the deleted scenes answer lingering questions.
Van LathanThe trimmed ending works because it leaves you wanting more and makes the emotional beat land.
Bill SimmonsProbably Uncle Buck, though Planes, Trains and Automobiles is more fondly remembered.
Van LathanThis movie is Candy’s best role.
Bill SimmonsMidnight Run is his favorite road movie, though this is among the best.
Van LathanThis movie is tied with Tommy Boy and belongs in the top tier.
Bill SimmonsNo; it should be left untouched and modern remakes would overlong it.
Van LathanAlso no; the film is too perfect and too tied to its era.
Calls it one of the best holiday movies ever and one of the best road movies ever.
Opening minutesSays the movie works because family gives the journey meaning and makes Candy’s character devastatingly human.
Opening minutesTreats Candy as a childhood-defining performer with a singular gift for lovable comedy.
About 8 minArgues Candy is both funny and broken-hearted, which makes the movie moving.
About 24 minCredits Hughes with letting comedians cook and then ruthlessly editing down to the funniest version.
About 8 minSees the bed-sharing and ‘those aren’t pillows’ material as one of the film’s defining comic stretches.
About 8 minCalls the profanity-filled breakdown one of the movie’s great scenes.
About 16 minSays the ending makes him cry and recontextualizes the whole movie.
About 24 minArgues Hughes defined 1980s pop culture through a huge streak of iconic films.
About 16 minAgrees Hughes isolated and distilled 1980s archetypes better than almost anyone.
About 16 minFinds the later reveal about Del’s life to be emotionally effective even if the monologue is trimmed.
About 24 minSees Del as honest, socially skilled, and deeply endearing despite being annoying.
About 16 minViews Neil as the noble but unrelatable straight man whose irritation is understandable.
Opening minutesSays the movie’s brevity is a major part of why it is so great.
About 32 minThe movie works because a needy, talkative salesman and a curt, stressed executive are forced into a survival partnership.
About 8 minThanksgiving homecoming gives the road trip stakes beyond logistics.
Opening minutesJohn Candy’s performance is funny but carries visible hurt, which deepens the movie.
About 24 minThe episode treats Hughes as a defining pop-culture architect of the 1980s.
About 16 minThe movie’s brevity and tight scene construction are treated as part of its appeal.
About 16 minJohn Hughes’s original cut was much longer and the film was aggressively shortened in editing.
About 16 minThe production moved from one town to Buffalo because of snow problems.
About 24 minThe final version reportedly restored a small train-station exchange about Del sending money.
About 16 minThe film’s plane exterior is the same one used in Airplane!
About 24 minCandy reportedly brought exercise equipment to his hotel suite and never used it.
About 32 min · medium confidenceA deleted pizza-delivery beat explains the later robbery more clearly.
About 16 minA deleted scene includes Candy smoking while eating a hot dog.
About 24 minThe film was shot over 84 days and had a $50 million budget.
About 16 minUsed as the John Hughes road-movie template that revitalized the genre.
About 8 minUsed as a favorite road movie and comparison point for the buddy dynamic.
About 8 minDescribed as a near-remake/inverted version of this road-movie structure.
About 8 minMentioned in a discussion of John Candy’s early work and road-trip energy.
About 8 minReferenced as another major Candy role.
About 8 minCited as a source of answers to plot questions.
Opening minutesUsed as an example of the dissimilar-people road/buddy blueprint.
About 16 minReferenced as a signature Steve Martin comedy that influenced his stardom.
About 8 minMentioned as an influential old comedy that has partially aged poorly.
About 8 minReferenced in the same discussion about aging 1970s/1980s comedies.
About 8 minMentioned as the film that made Tom Hanks unavailable for this role.
About 24 minReferenced as part of John Travolta’s career rebound.
About 24 minMentioned as a remake project Kevin Hart was reportedly attached to.
About 24 min · medium confidenceUsed as Bill’s preferred Christmas-movie pairing and a stronger holiday movie than many others.
About 24 minReferenced as another John Hughes megahit and holiday touchstone.
About 16 minRepeated as the film’s signature line and a shared cultural shorthand for awkward bed-sharing.
About 8 minVan repeatedly describes Candy as a childhood comfort figure, almost Santa-like.
About 8 minBill keeps listing Hughes’s 1980s movies as proof of an unmatched creative streak.
About 16 minThe hosts joke that modern travel chaos still makes the movie feel current.
About 24 minThey celebrate the movie’s strong supporting character actors and small roles.
About 32 minThe reported Will Smith/Kevin Hart remake becomes a running complaint.
About 24 min“Those aren't pillows!”About 8 min
“I like me. My wife likes me.”About 16 min
“Larry Bird doesn't do as much ball handling”About 16 min
“I like taking dissimilar people”About 16 min
“What you see is what you get.”About 16 min
MAKE IT A MOVIE NIGHT
WHAT TO WATCH NEXT
Three movies to watch before Planes, Trains and Automobiles, and three to watch next.
ON THE MIC
Bill SimmonsThe Rewatchables
Van LathanThe RewatchablesREWATCH FAVS
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