Thanksgiving is here, and I hope your home smells of delicious turkey baking in the oven, or a yummy delivery is on the way, that you have deviled eggs by your side for snacking, and sparkling cider - or sparkling water - in your glass. The day can be fraught for some and filled with joy for others, but one thing we can agree on is that a movie is needed when you're done filling your bellies.
From family favorites and comedies to the greatest music documentary of all time, there is a host of films available depending on the mood you're looking to create; keeping the kids entertained? Defusing tension? Or winding down after being in the kitchen all day? As a TV and film fan myself and entertainment correspondent, I've rounded up 10 Thanksgiving movies for you to pick from no matter what genre you're looking for...
Addams Family Values
Available to rent or buy on Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Vudu
A classic for all generations, the 1993 comedy Addams Family Values is the sequel to the 1991 film but has become a cult classic all of its own.
A reminder that the holiday is one of giving thanks but also a time of pain for the indigenous people of America, the film uses its subversive humor to help us us all to confront the messy, complicated history of Thanksgiving, as well as opening discussion with children about the history of the holiday.
"Your people will wear cardigans, and drink highballs... We will sell our bracelets by the roadside," Wednesday Addams spits out during her biting, off-script speech at Camp Chippewa when she is made to play Pocahontas.
It's a reminder of the sanitized version we've all come to know, while also being genuinely funny.
Beethoven
Beethoven is streaming on The Roku Channel and Tubi
Anyone who has a dog. or grew up with a dog, knows the mayhem that can occur when you sit down for family dinner, and the classic Thanksgiving dinner scene in Beethoven is that turned up to 120.
Much like Addams Family Values, Beethoven appeals to the idea that the holidays are rarely perfect, while also allowing you to laugh at another family's misfortunes
For Your Consideration
Stream on The Roku Channel, and Kanopy (with library card)
Christopher Guest's 2006 film is the perfect movie for those who also enjoy satirizing the commercial and cultural pressures surrounding Thanksgiving.
Catherine O'Hara stars in the film about a fictional Oscar-bait movie being made, Home for Purim, a serious drama about a Jewish family. But when the studio decides the film is "too Jewish" for awards season, it is renamed to Home for Thanksgiving.
For Your Consideration is not just a wry look at the the fragility of Hollywood, but it also serves as a reminder of the important things in life, as the film within the film follows a fictional family reuniting for a holiday.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Stream on Paramount+
Is John Hughes 1987 film the defining Thanksgiving movie?
Many would argue it is, thanks to the relatable, stressful and hilarious nature of traveling for family during the holidays.
Steve Martin stars as Neal Page, who is trying desperately to get from New York to Chicago for Thanksgiving dinner. But everything that can go wrong does go wrong (canceled flights, train breakdowns, rental car chaos, driving on the wrong side of the highway, car catching fire) – which ultimately makes his arrival back to his family all the more meaningful, anchoring the film in a deeply moving arc that reminds us all about the desire for connection and community.
The Prince and Me
This underrated Julia Stiles movie from 2004 is one of my favorite Thanksgiving movies.
Paige Morgan (Julia Stiles), is a Wisconsin pre-med student who invites her new classmate "Eddie" (who is secretly Prince Edvard of Denmark) to her family's dairy farm for Thanksgiving. There, Eddie finally gets to experience American life through farm work and community, and it allows him to break out of his pampered existence.
Setting it at Thanksgiving brings together the films core themes: humility, community, and the true meaning of home.
And it's also just a wonderfully romantic movie.
Instant Family
Stream on Paramount+, FuboTV, DIRECTV
Mark Walhberg's 2018 comedy is not only set at Thanksgiving, but the holiday marks a major turning point for the family, as they reveal that they will not be going through with the adoption of three foster children.
Of course, the reaction leads to chaos, and throughout the holiday, Ellie (Rose Byrne) and Pete (played by Mark) learn the true meaning of family and gratitude as they realize that their family is perfect, even if it is overwhelming and hard.
You've Got Mail
Stream on Max
Nora Ephron's You've Got Mail is the quintessential holiday film: set in New York City in the fall, with a plethora of cosy knit sweaters, coffee cups, and, of course, Joe's famous line: "Don't you just love New York in the fall?"
Yes I do.
A story about tradition and legacy, it's best to not look too closely at the story these days (I like to think that The Shop Around the Corner is back up and running, with a popular Instagram feed) but You've Got Mail remains an emotional comfort movie.
Home for the Holidays
Stream on Paramount+, MGM+, FuboTV, Philo
One of the rare movies actually set on Thanksgiving, Jodie Foster's 1995 movie Home for the Holidays focuses on the chaos of the family reunions that define the holiday with brutal, yet funny, honesty.
Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) is a divorced single mom flying home to Baltimore to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with her family after being fired from her job and told by her daughter she would spend the week elsewhere.
Soon sibling rivalries re-emerge, secrets are exposed – and Aunt Gladys is being herself – and it all leaves Claudia wondering if she made the right decision.
The Ice Storm
If something darker is more your speed, Ang Lee's 1997 film The Ice Storm is the perfect pick.
Set in 1973 over the four-day holiday break in an affluent suburb of Connecticut, two families are forced to confront the stark reality of their lives beneath the picture-perfect veneer, all while an ice storm descends on their town.
The antithesis of a Hallmark film, the movie subverts the usual tropes by showing a family unraveling in ways that cannot be fixed.
Plus – it's a great film to partner with Addams Family Values, as Christina Ricci once again gets to deliver a politically charged prayer that calls back to her speech as Wednesday.
"Dear Lord, thank you for this Thanksgiving holiday... and for letting us white people kill all the Indians and steal all their tribal lands... and stuff ourselves like pigs even though children in Asia are being napalmed..."
The Last Waltz
Stream on Pluto TV (Free w/ Ads), Tubi (Free w/ Ads)
A wild card, but if live music and interpersonal politics between musicians is your thing, Martin Scorsese's 1978 documentary about The Band's farewell concert, which took place on Thanksgiving Day in 1976, is the film for you.
A full Thanksgiving turkey dinner was served to the 5000 fans who had tickets, with the whole event conceived to mirror the spirit of a Thanksgiving gathering.
But it also embodies themes of family and legacy, as The Band, composed of Robbie Robertson, Levon Helm, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, and Garth Hudson, explains their reasons for ending, the strains and resentments that had formed, but also the long-lasting love they have for each other as family.
