Thanksgiving is a holiday where we all gather around to give thanks with family and friends, and what better way to do that than with a few movies that showcase the spirit of the holiday? Some of them are wholesome. Some tickle the funny bone, and some highlight the outright dysfunction of getting the family together. Whatever mood strikes you, there are some offerings for film watching on Turkey Day, and we’re going to help you out by listing the five best Thanksgiving movies ever to add a little something more to your holiday.

Honorable Mention: Soul Food (1997)

Soul Food may not be a traditional Thanksgiving movie in the sense that it takes place exclusively around the holiday. Still, its themes of family and tradition resonate throughout and point to what makes a day like Thanksgiving so special. Written and directed by George Tillman Jr., Soul Food follows an African American family whose traditions that hold them together are primarily told through 11-year-old Ahmad (Brandon Hammond) as various trials and tribulations for the Joseph family are also explored through gathering together every Sunday, where there is more than enough soul food to go around to satisfy the appetite. Soul Food personifies what it’s like to be from a big extended family, particularly in the African American community, where traditions that are held dear help bring the family even closer together.

The story is relatable, and it isn’t afraid to show the struggles, flaws, and dysfunction that also come from being a part of a big family with even bigger personalities. The performances are excellent from top to bottom, with Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Irma P. Hall, Mekhi Phifer, among others, putting in stellar work as they bring the Joseph family to life in a purely realistic way. The film balances dramatic and humorous moments that no doubt represent what it’s like to gather around the dinner table with family, and it’s all balanced with an authentic portrayal of an African American family that doesn’t sink into stereotypes. On top of all this, the soundtrack is a true highlight as it complements the film’s emotional impact with an exceptional mix of R&B and hip-hop tunes that add to the film’s cultural experience.

5. Addams Family Values (1993)

Addams Family Values is another movie that isn’t a traditional Thanksgiving offering, but it has one scene in particular that has made it a must-watch on the holiday over the years. Directed by Barry Sonnenfield from a screenplay by Paul Rudnick, Addams Family Values serves as a sequel to 1991’s The Addams Family, which is based on the characters created by Charles Addams. The sequel steps into a bit more dark comedy compared to its predecessor and follows the family adjusting to the birth of baby Pubert as well as Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd) marrying the new nanny Debbie Jellinsky (Joan Cusack), who also happens to be trying to murder him for his inheritance.

The Thanksgiving aspect of the film involves Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley Addams (Jimmy Workman) being sent to summer camp after Debbie tricks Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Anjelica Huston) into sending them away once they get close to discovering her intentions. While at the summer camp, Wednesday and Pugsley are involved in a Thanksgiving-themed pageant that sees the former launching into a now-famous speech about the history of the holiday and the truth behind colonialism. The scene has become iconic over the years, thanks mostly to the writing of the scene and Ricci’s top-notch portrayal of Wednesday as she exposes the hypocrisy behind this yearly tradition. The scene works if you’re into something a bit more dark and appreciate it for calling out the whitewashing of the holiday. It might not be wholesome, but it sure is fun.

4. The Ice Storm (1997)

The Ice Storm is a very dark drama but it happens to be set during the Thanksgiving holiday of 1973. Directed by Ang Lee and written by James Schamus, The Ice Storm involves two neighboring families who try to escape from the emptiness they feel by engaging in less than savory behavior. The Ice Storm showcases the potential dysfunction of the holiday as it plays out over the long Thanksgiving weekend and culminates with a literal ice storm by the end of it. Thanksgiving is essentially a backdrop for these families to connect but the voids they’re feeling are simply too strong to be fixed by the togetherness of the long holiday weekend. The movie features various dinner and party scenes that emphasize just how broke these people are and to escape from their emptiness, they engage in infidelity and betrayal to simply feel something.

The movie is impeccably acted and well written, with Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood and particularly Sigourney Weaver, firing on all cylinders portraying people who certainly aren’t the most decent but they are relatably human. This marks the second dark Thanksgiving tale for Ricci who may very well be the unofficial movie spokesperson for the holiday. In all seriousness, this might be the right movie to gather the family around to watch on Thanksgiving but it’s a gripping drama that is devastating but remarkably real in its depiction of families simply looking to feel something.

3. Thanksgiving (2023)

Director Eli Roth knew that the holiday needed a horror-themed movie to center around it, and he answered that call long before Thanksgiving was released in 2023. Back in 2007, Roth created a fake movie trailer for a film called Thanksgiving that played during the Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino double-feature, Grindhouse. The fake trailer became extremely popular, and fans began hoping for a feature film adaptation. It took several years, but the movie finally arrived in 2023, based on a screenplay by Jeff Rendell and developed from a story crafted by both Roth and Rendell.

The film follows a small Massachusetts town that falls victim to a serial killer wearing a John Carver mask around the Thanksgiving holiday, and a year after a Black Friday store excursion ended with several people being killed. Credit to Roth for leaning in on the film’s humor and over-the-top gore by delivering a slasher movie that calls back to the classics of the past. It’s not a movie that takes itself too seriously, but it’s made with great love for the genre while ensuring the film feels fresh at the same time. For fans that waited a long time for this project to happen, it lived up to the hype and, for this movie watcher, became an instant addition to my holiday movie watching. Who says that a horror film can’t bring the family together?

2. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

I sadly only watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles recently, but instantly discovered why it’s considered a Thanksgiving classic. The movie is not only hilariously funny, but it also has a lot of heart as its characters learn some things on their journey to make it to a Thanksgiving dinner. Written and directed by John Hughes, the film follows Neal Page (Steve Martin), a very upright advertising executive, and Del Griffith (John Candy), a salesman who means well but tends to push Neal’s last nerve of Neal as they become travel buddies after their flight is diverted. What results is a three-day trek of pratfalls and personal growth as they try to make it to Chicago in time for Neal to make it to a Thanksgiving feast with his family. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is relatable in so many meaningful ways. From the frustration of trying to make it home during the holidays to finding growth out of an unlikely relationship who is your polar opposite, the film speaks to underlying themes that have served in making it such a holiday staple.

Most of this works in large part due to the chemistry of Martin and Candy, who play off of each other incredibly well. Martin has to play things more straight than Candy, but they complement each other, and that humor ultimately turns into a story of great heart as the characters have to break away from what’s familiar to rely on each other. Hughes proved that he was not only capable of speaking to the youth culture of the time, but he also had his finger on the pulse of relatable human stories for all ages. It’s certainly a Thanksgiving film that offers laughs and genuine emotion that plays well for the entire family.

1. Pieces of April (2003)

Pieces of April depicts the dysfunction of a family but also the longing to repair that dysfunction. The low-budget comedy/drama has resonated with me since I first saw it in 2003 and remains a staple for myself and my family every Thanksgiving. Even though it dives into family dysfunction, everything leads to something that is ultimately promising and shows that no matter what, the love between family is unconditional. Written and directed by Peter Hedges, Pieces of April follows April Burns (Katie Holmes), who is a bit of an outsider in her family, as she attempts to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner in her tenement apartment in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, as her estranged family makes the long drive to see her in New York City.

This will also likely be the last Thanksgiving for her mother, Joy (Patricia Clarkson), who is dying of cancer. The movie highlights that whatever can go wrong will go wrong as April tries to make this Thanksgiving meal happen, and it’s juxtaposed with the family traveling to her and detailing just how separated they have become over time. The film showcases that sometimes even the most flawed families are trying to navigate maintaining relationships as grivances from the past take hold and threaten to break family dynamics.

Thanks to Hedges’ decision to make the film low-budget using handheld camera work and a sort of home video style, the story feels very intimate, and it draws you into the characters even more. Holmes and Clarkson are especially great here, with the latter earning a Best Supporting Oscar nomination for her work and the former earning some of the best reviews of her young career at the time. It’s wonderfully authentic, humorous, and emotional in all the right places, which makes it a perfect Thanksgiving film for families that may not be perfect but still have a lot of love for each other.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!!!

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