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Two days before Thanksgiving, marketing consultant Neal Page races to catch a plane home to Chicago, only to find that his flight has been delayed. Hours later, he boards the plane and ends up next to obnoxious salesman, Del Griffith. When the flight is detoured to Wichita, the mismatched pair are forced to find their own way to Chicago-by any means necessary.

This rather ordinary Steve Martin comedy is about the efforts of a man trying to get back to his family in bad weather for Thanksgiving Day. Steve Martin rather reluctantly teams up with John Candy and the mismatched pair goes through various transport fiascos. Although mildly amusing at times and easy to watch, it is hardly gripping stuff and is rather spoilt by the sentimental ending.

Given the presence of both Steve Martin and John Candy, one would expect this John Hughes comedy to be much, much funnier than it is. Certainly it's not for lack of effort on the part of its stars. Martin is an uptight businessman trying to get home from New York for the holidays. But one thing after another gets in his way--most of it having to do with Candy, a boorish but well-meaning boob who takes a liking to him. Together they travel all over the map; no matter how hard Martin tries to shake him, he can't. But Hughes's writing is never as sharp as it should be and this film winds up being only intermittently humorous. --Marshall Fine

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