You do more ballhandling in one minute than Larry Bird does in an hour.Neal (Steve Martin) wants to get home in time for the holidays. He's got to get from LaGuardia to O'Hare. Simple enough, right? He runs into Del (John Candy), who swipes his cab in Manhattan. They run into each other again waiting to board the plane. Neal then gets bumped up to first class and finds himself in a seat next to - who else - Del. The plane, bound for Chicago, gets diverted to Witchita. Del, connected through his business as a shower ring salesman, gets them a room.
With one bed.
It's a living hell for Neal; Del's a slob. He smokes. He snores. He tells horrible jokes. His socks stink. Neal tries to dump Del the next morning, but they're stuck together. A series of misadventures in travel (the planes, trains and automobiles in question) bring them home, but not after a near death experience and a burnt to a crisp car.
This movie was written and directed by John Hughes, before he became a Disney rewrite whore. It's funny and endearing and sweet and charming, and boasts one of the funniest exchanges in movies, a profantity laced howler between Neal and a car rental agent:
Neal: And I really don't care for the way your company left me in the middle of fucking nowhere with fucking keys to a fucking car that isn't fucking there. And I really didn't care to fucking walk down a fucking highway and across a fucking runway to get back here to have you smile at my fucking face. I want a fucking car RIGHT FUCKING NOW! Rental Agent: May I see your rental agreement. Neal: I threw it away. Rental Agent: Oh boy. Neal: Oh boy what? Rental Agent: You're fucked!
Candy and Martin have great chemistry together, and it's just a great, funny movie.Neal: You know what I'd really like?
Del: A couple more hands and an extra set of balls?
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