In the film the viewer identifies with Neal, a hard working family man who is desperately trying to get home for the thanksgiving holiday. His growing frustration is completely understandable and thus being, the audience relates…even when he loses his cool in a litany of profanity that may improve his mood but does nothing for his situation. At this point, Del who has up until now been a proverbial thorn in his side, shows up with wheels to rescue him. His gratitude is genuine and he starts to see Del less as a pest. Unfortunately Del is not the best driver and their trip takes another unexpected turn, which makes Neal furious with him.

When his anger dies down, he feels sorry for Del and offers an olive branch. The pair get to know each other a little better and Neal is amazed at how Del always maintains a positive outlook on things. as annoying as this quality has been to him. Because of the miracle spirit of Thanksgiving, he finally sees that there is something he can learn from his misunderstood travel companion. This is the underlying theme of the whole movie, being thankful for the blessings that you do have, no matter how insignificant they seem to others. When the two finally part in Chicago, Neal realizes the value of his unprecedented friend and invites him to Thanksgiving dinner with his family.

Truly a great Thanksgiving classic but there other holidays and other feel good films too.

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Network has been preserved by the Library of congress for it’s cultural significance. In the film the evening news broadcaster Howard Beale gets his two weeks notice, cancelled for low ratings. He losses it during his following broadcast and vows to commit suicide live on the air for his last show. He is almost fired immediately, but promises to recant and apologize during his next broadcast. Instead he goes off script complaining about the Bullshit of life. The outburst cause a ratings spike and the Network heads decide to cash in on the new found popularity.

Beale encourages viewers to yell out their windows.”I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.”, galvanizing the nation.

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