Thanksgiving Movies

It's time to talk turkey about Thanksgiving movies. Unlike Christmas and Halloween, Thanksgiving movies are not as plentiful, and the majority of turkey day themed films feature dysfunctional families squabbling over more than the turkey. 

I have selected fourteen films that you might enjoy on this festive, truly American holiday. Happy Thanksgiving.

Plymouth Adventure 1952 all-star MGM technicolor epic featuring Spencer Tracy, Gene Tierney, Leo Genn and Van Johnson. This is the only major Hollywood film about the Mayflower voyage.  The film is shown every year on Turner Classics Movie (it aired last Saturday). Until recently it had never been released on VHS or DVD. This month Warner Bros. released it as part of their new made to order Warner Archives Collection : Warner Bros. Shop - Plymouth Adventure

Dated Hollywood hokum, but still fun.

At The Movie House rating *** stars

Planes, trains and Automobiles is one of the funniest comedies ever made. Released in 1987 by Paramount Pictures the film stars Steve Martin and John Candy as two misfit road warriors trying to get home for Thanksgiving. They are joined together by circumstance and each learns important lessons about themselves on their journey. The two actors take this comedy way beyond the level of slap stick and snappy one-liners.

At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars.

Miracle On 34th Street is one of the most traditional Thanksgiving day films. I would watch it every year. Released in 1947 by 20th Century Fox it features Maureen O'Hara as Mrs. Walker a driven executive for Macy's Department store who has the difficult task of wrangling the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. When she hires a replacement Santa Claus (Edmund Gwenn) she inadvertently sets off a legal challenge that will test the true meaning of Christmas. The film also stars John Payne and Natalie Wood in her first role. Gwenn won an Oscar for his portrayal of Santa Claus.

At the Movie House rating **** stars

The hit Broadway musical was adapted into a feature film in in 1978 by Universal Studios. The Wiz is an urban retelling of the Wizard of Oz with an African American cast led by Diana Ross as Dorothy. The film was a commercial and critical failure and is now a relic of another time. But it has some dazzling art direction, cinematography and Micheal Jackson in a rare film role.

At The Movie House rating ** stars

I already talked about Hannah and Her Sisters when I watched it last week. This delightful dramatic comedy from Woody Allen is one of his masterpieces and one of the best Thanksgiving movies about families around.

At The Movie House rating **** stars

Woody Allen offered up another Thanksgiving themed movie with Broadway Danny Rose. Allen plays Danny Rose an ineffective talent manager who gets mixed up with gangsters as he tries to arrange a gig for his biggest star. Includes a very funny scene in a warehouse holding balloons for the Macy's parade.

Classic Woody Allen. 

At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars

Home For the Holidays, directed by Jodie Foster and released by Paramount Pictures in 1995 is probably the most popular of the dysfunctional family films to come along. The film stars Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Jr., Anne Bancroft and a large cast of notable actors who gather together for the annual ritual of eating and fighting. It's the performances that elevate this film above it's very uneven screenplay.

At The Movie House rating *** stars

Director Ang Lee perfectly captured the dysfunction of the American family circa 1973. The film stars Kevin Kline Joan Allen and Sigourney Weaver and tells the tale of two suburban Connecticut families whose life's are drawn together one Thanksgiving. One of the best films of 1997.

At The Movie House rating **** stars.

Pieces of April stars Katie Homes as an urban free spirit who is cooking Thanksgiving Dinner for her family. This 2003 dramatic comedy won multiple film festival awards for it's performances, especially Patricia Clarkson.

At The Movie House rating **1/2 stars.

Another dysfunctional family gathering for a New England Thanksgiving. This 1997 film from Sony Classics features Blythe Danner, Roy Scheider, Julianne Moore and Noah Wyle. It's this strong ensemble cast that makes this film above average.

At The Movie House rating ** 1/2 stars.

Nobody's Fool released by Paramount in 1994 stars Paul Newman as Sully a loner who has trouble maintaining meaningful relationships. This blue-collar dramatic comedy features superb performances by Newman, Bruce Willis, Jessica Tandy and Melanie Griffith. It's a family drama that is neither too sentimental or sappy.

At The Movie House rating ***1/2 stars.

Avalon is a big budget epic about the American immigrant experience from Tri-Star pictures in 1990. This semi-autobiographical film by Barry Levinson follows a family of Polish-Jewish immigrants as they settle in Baltimore at the beginning of the 20th century. We watch the family grow and change and learn what it means to be American.

At The Movie House rating *** stars.

This blockbuster hit from 2009 starring Sandra Bullock tells the true story of Leigh Anne Tuohy and Micheal Oher. The movies message is that with love and support of people who believe in you, you can achieve anything. Bullock won an Oscar for her performance, but Quinton Aaron as "Big Mike" is the one to watch.

At The Movie House rating *** stars.

Scent of a Woman features an Oscar winning performance by Al Pacino as a blind veteran who hires a prep school boy to escort him to NYC one Thanksgiving weekend. Released by Universal in 1992 the film is a highlight of Pacino's career and features a young Chris O'Donnell as the student. The film is highly engaging, but goes on much too long.

At The Movie House rating *** stars

From laugh out loud comedies to serious family dramas Thanksgiving has a cornucopia of films to offer any movie buff.

Happy Thanksgiving.