How can you create a character that is both a.) supposed to be obnoxious, and b.) still likeable enough to carry a story?
In the 1987 John Hughes movie, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, our MC Neal Page (played by the great Steve Martin) is tasked with completing one of the most daunting and foreboding of trials: getting himself from New York City back home to Chicago just in time for the Thanksgiving holiday. With two days still to go on the calendar, it seems like a simple enough task, if a bit frustrating. But then Neal crosses paths with Del Griffith (played by the great John Candy), a talkative and oafish traveling shower-curtain-ring salesman, and the path home suddenly becomes strewn with wild misadventures. Needless to say, Neal is not very grateful for Del’s company. At first. But by the end of the movie, both Neal’s and Del’s lives have become intertwined forever.
The question is, how did we get there? How did the stressed and grumpy Neal Page, as well as the audience, connect with and even grow to love the guy who takes his shoes and socks off on a crowded airplane?
It all comes down to one important factor: we are shown exactly who Del Griffith is from the moment we meet him.
And it is not strictly the moment Neal and Del speak to each other for the first time, though that scene does provide us with the bulk of Del’s character. Rather, our true introduction to Del occurs when he “steals” Neal’s cab on the busy streets of New York. In a fit of rage and desperation, Neal throws open the cab door after it stops at a light and reveals his future travelling companion’s face as it molds into surprise and fear. And thanks to the magical perfection of John Candy’s acting, this two-second shot succeeds in showing us the heart of Del’s character: his sincerity. In this moment, he is frightened of Neal—he is vulnerable. Whether or not his true intention was to steal that cab, we know immediately that Del is no antagonist.
But even more is revealed in the next scene, when Neal serendipitously ends up sitting across from Mr. Griffith in the airport. The two eye each other for a moment, and we get a (this time, humorous) call-back to Del’s shocked expression as Neal remembers where he’d seen him before. Del, on the other hand, takes a moment longer to put the pieces together. “I know you, don’t I?” he asks. “I’m usually very good at names, but I’ll be damned if I haven’t forgotten yours.” His friendly manner and the somewhat proud way he states his ability to remember names—once again—immediately clues us into the kind of person he is, even on a subconscious level. As I said, he is clearly very friendly. But his comment about remembering names also suggests that 1.) he goes out of his way to meet a lot of people, and 2.) he makes it a point to remember who they are. This shows us that Del is actually a rather compassionate and amicable human being.
We are given further example of Del’s nature when Neal finally breaks his silence and accuses Del of stealing his cab earlier that day. In response, Del does not get angry or become defensive. Instead, his says in his same friendly manner, “I’ve never stolen anything in my life.” Not only does this reaction reaffirm the fact that he is not a natural antagonist, but it also shows us that Del is straightforward, and certainly not a pushover. True, he will not immediately meet confrontation with anger and aggression, but he also doesn’t shy away or cower from it. This shows us not only that Del Griffith is brave, but also that he has integrity.
And when it finally gets through to him what actually happened with the cab, Del is instantly apologetic. He offers to buy Neal a number of different items from the airport food courts to make up for the mistake, with slowly increasing irritation from Neal at his persistence. Eventually, Del closes with, “Just let me know. I’m here,” and a final grin and chuckle as he adds, “I knew I knew you,” and wags his finger at Neal. Again, we see Del’s sincerity with every expression and every line of dialogue. He may be a bit obnoxious, but overall he is honest and well-intentioned. And it is this knowledge that we take with us through the rest of the movie—from him taking his shoes and socks of on the plane and making a complete mess in the bathroom when he and Neal stay overnight in a hotel, to him accidentally setting their rental car on fire just after nearly getting them killed in a traffic collision.
Of course, there are other things revealed throughout the movie that help steadily grow our attachment to Mr. Griffith. However, and apart from giving away any more of this story’s brilliance and heart, it really all comes down to knowing his character right from the beginning. Del Griffith may be a bit of a bumbling, obnoxious oaf at times. But he is also honest, compassionate, resolute, and more than anything, an amazing and loyal friend. We should all be so lucky to have a friend like Del Griffith.
Night Owls, who are some of your favorite “obnoxious” or “unlikeable” characters? What is it that makes you care about them?
