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As soon as November first rolls around, it's a never-ending celebration of holidays starring eccentric relatives no one really looks forward to seeing. So, don't put away those Halloween knives just yet, because it's turkey day! (Knives purely for turkey carving purposes, of course.)
Jokes aside, Thanksgiving dinners are ironically notorious for getting too chaotic. Despite being a day for gratitude, surely everyone can do without the awkward catch-up sessions and inappropriate jokes made by some drunken relative they see once a year. With that, there's nothing wrong with putting on a movie marathon of Thanksgiving classics to drown out the havoc and provide small talk everyone can gloss over during family bonding time.
This article contains mentions of problematic subject matter. Please proceed with caution.
10 Free Birds Play Devil's Advocate By Sharing A Turkey's Thanksgiving Experience
Fattened up for slaughter, the turkeys in Free Bird gain sentience, refusing to be further subjected to the age-old tradition. The animated comedy invites a fantastical element to the movie by introducing a magical doorknob that allows the two titular poultries to travel through time to change the course of history as they know it.
Frankly, the movie is a joke. The best part of the movie is that it keeps the tiny gremlins of the family occupied for one hour and thirty-one minutes, giving the adults some time to relax before shifting back into parent mode. Nevertheless, it's sufficient background noise to fill the dull moments bound to seep into the walls of the family home sooner or later.
9 The House Of Yes Gives Dysfunctional Families New Meaning
Bringing a significant other to meet the family during Thanksgiving is nerve-racking enough, but for Lesly, all that pressure is amplified by an incestuous younger sister who thinks she's Jackie-O. It's never easy to see a former partner tie the knot. It makes it that much harder when said ex is a biological brother.
Disturbing scenes of incest foreplay and gun kink may not exactly be family-friendly material, but it definitely puts things into perspective. Not even the worst dinners can contend with this doozy of a film. It's not a conventional Thanksgiving film, but it's viciously hilarious. The dark comedy almost makes up for the traumatizing plot.
8 Pieces Of April Sets A Thanksgiving Dinner In A Miniscule New York Apartment
Comedy is the ideal middle-ground genre to set the tone for a shambolic evening. Attempting to host a picturesque Thanksgiving dinner for her dying mother doesn't go as planned for April. As her estranged family road trips from Pennsylvania to New York, gossiping about the disgraced black sheep of the family, April shuffles to get everything in order, trying to pull heaven and earth together to make a proper Thanksgiving dinner without a functioning oven.
The comedy isn't necessarily a feel-good that the family can lightly bond over. Regardless, it delivers an important message that many forget during the bitter-sweet time of year. The importance of family is emphasized in the films ending. Indeed, blood is thicker than water.
7 The Ice Storm Presents The Ugly Truth Behind Thanksgiving
Though the depressing themes demonstrated in The Ice Storm aren't explicitly correlated with Thanksgiving, all the sins that unravel in the film don't make for a particularly cheery watch. Unsurprisingly, the lives of two incredibly miserable families include sexual affairs and copious volumes of alcohol taking center stage.
Recognized by the Cannes Film Festival, the 70s melodrama is a captivating watch. The powerful performance and elegant direction are a must-watch despite the dark, juxtaposing tone of the movie to the merry holiday.
6 Home For The Holidays Combines Polarizing Character Tropes Into One Family
"We don't have to like each other - we're family." Jodie Foster crams every other disparate character trope into one family: a teenager eager to lose her virginity, a closeted brother bringing home an inconspicuous male friend, a conservative sister, a privileged brother-in-law, and a single mother going through one hell of a mid-life crisis.
The audience sympathizes with single-mom Claudia's inner turmoils. Especially the reluctance to go home for the holidays with nothing to brag about to exasperating family members. The stellar cast does a glamorous job of portraying their respective characters. Their fantastic performance makes it that much easier to buy into each character's struggles. Not leaving much to the imagination, the film is an easy watch, perfect for a room of gluttonous people fighting off their food comas.
5 The Blind Side Inspires Everyone To Spread Kindness
Arguably one of Sandra Bullock's most inspiring characters, The Blind Side follows the true story of Michael Oher finally finding his family. On the surface, Leigh Anne Tuohy saves Michael from a lifetime of homelessness. But to read deeper into the movie's nuances, it's Michael that saves the Tuohy family from a life of estrangement.
Before Michael stepped into the picture, the Tuohy family enjoyed their store-bought Thanksgiving dinner in front of the TV, enjoying the football game from the comforts of their couch. Though untraditional, it isn't exactly "wrong." However, Michael opens their eyes to the true nature of family bonding. As every member of the family progressively grows closer together, The Blind Side emphasizes the true meaning of family and its imperative role in the sense of belonging in every person's life.
4 Krisha Is A Gut-Wrenching Watch
Thanksgiving dinners can get overwhelmingly hectic fairly quickly. From the moment the first relative waltzes through the front door, the air shifts, and dread settles into place. For Krisha, the previous statement isn't just exaggerated creative writing. After a messy falling out, sixty-something-year-old estranged Krisha returns to her family home for a long overdue reunion.
Shults' debut indie film isn't a light watch. It's tortured and raw and hits much harder when realizing he cast members of his own family for the semi-autobiography. The movie being filmed in his actual childhood home adds even more authenticity to the mix. Shults' filmmaking style accentuates the emotional claustrophobia of the escalating conflicts. Writer-Director Shults earned himself a critically acclaimed reputation with this masterpiece debut picture.
3 A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Is A Quintessential Thanksgiving Watch
Being released almost half a century ago officially makes A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving an ultimate Thanksgiving classic. In addition to the mandatory family dinner at Grandma's house, Charlie holds a shabby little party in his backyard. Though simple and untraditional, the Peanuts clan share an intimate family dinner, complete with Woodstock and Snoopy splitting a wishbone and Sally complaining about her Halloween Candy.
It's a movie that brings everyone together. Even if no kids are present, the cartoon takes everyone down memory lane, bringing back the fondest Thanksgiving dinners of their childhoods. It shows that a sense of belonging and togetherness is what Thanksgiving is about, even if the feast is missing a big, fat turkey and a family bound by blood.
2 Addams Family Values Is A Thanksgiving Movie With Horror Elements
Wednesday's bloodthirsty nature gains immense popularity, overshadowing the show's true Thanksgiving roots. As Pocahontas, Wednesday Addams declares her intentions of scalping the invaders and burning their village to the ground.
Playing into grim tones, the somewhat morbid Addams Family Values understand that Thanksgiving was not a pleasant moment in history for all parties. Young Wednesday shows empathy for Native Americans regarding the racist origins of the holiday. Her powerful and moving speech addresses the unjust and out-of-line whitewashing of Thanksgiving that foregoes the bloodshed it's built on. In the era of political awareness, the Addams Family Values is an important movie that educates its viewers on the seedy underbelly of Thanksgiving.
1 Planes, Trains & Automobiles Is The Best Thanksgiving Film Bar None
After heaps of dysfunctional on-screen families keen on escaping the cruel and unusual punishment of family bonding, Planes, Trains & Automobiles follow the exhausting adventure of a family man eager to be with his loved ones during this time of year. The universe works against him as unforeseen disasters greet him at every turn.
Coming from the creator of Home Alone, it isn't surprising that Planes, Trains & Automobiles shares the same chaotic, wholesome energy. From the feel-good ending to the heart-warming niche 90s comedy, Planes, Trains & Automobiles is guaranteed to bring even the most polarizing family members together this coming Thanksgiving.