After watching this movie and some
careful deliberation, I came to the conclusion that Planes,
Trains, and Automobiles is a
grown-up version of The Breakfast Club. This
may seem like an easy comparison because both films were directed by
John Hughes, but there is more than a shared director that binds
these two films together. On the surface, the films share a similar
concept. A group of very different people forced together by
circumstances. caused by both their own doing as well as an outside
authority, and through their time together they learn valuable life
lessons from each other. The group in Automobiles is
only two people while there are five main characters in Breakfast
Club, but the premise is roughly
the same. These films are also similar because they are both
considered 80s classics, and while both are considered comedies, the
laughs are relatively sparse and separated by moments of melancholy
and introspection. If you liked The Breakfast Club, and
are looking for a similar movie now that you're out of your awkward,
angsty teenage years, check out Planes, Trains, and
Automobiles.