Rental Car Movie Gags Entertain During Holidays
Top Memorable Hollywood Rental Car Moments
Nov. 26, 2008 -- For business travelers, so much can go so wrong when getting a rental car.
So, for road warriors who aren't renting a car this Thanksgiving week and have time to squeeze in a movie or two, we've compiled a list of 10 movies (and one must-see TV show) with memorable scenes involving rental cars, agencies and/or clerks.
The list was informally compiled based on opinions solicited from frequent travelers, film experts and film buffs. Movie information comes from the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com), and many of the scenes can be found on YouTube.
'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'
Comedy, 1987
This cult classic shows road warriors struggling to get home for Turkey Day against a long list of obstacles. One unforgettable scene is Steve Martin's tirade at an airport rental car counter after the clerk had sent him to a distant parking spot that contained no car. Dean Athanassiades of Atlanta says he watches it every year around this time to remind him "why I don't travel during Thanksgiving week."
'National Lampoon's European Vacation'
Comedy, 1985
In the second film in National Lampoon's Vacation series, the Griswold family accidentally wins a game show's grand prize: a European vacation. Chevy Chase's character, Clark Griswold, can't adapt to the English style of driving, so he gets trapped in a roundabout in London and also backs into Stonehenge.
'Meet the Parents'
Comedy, 2000
Nurse Gaylord "Greg" Focker visits his girlfriend's parents before proposing and finds she has a menacing father, Jack Byrnes, played by Robert De Niro. Byrnes questions everything about Focker, including the color of his rental car choice (green). A sequel, "Meet the Fockers" contains another rental car gag.
'Good Neighbor Sam'
Comedy, 1964
Jack Lemon plays Sam Bissel, a 1960s suburban family man who's dissatisfied with his low-level job at an advertising firm until he lands his first big account, and things get complicated. A running gag involves the spoofing of a Hertz car rental commercial. Joseph Varsalona of Bellport, N.Y., a former frequent Hertz customer and a founder of the Bellport Film Society, says he can still sing the ad jingle.
