Thanksgiving is an undersung holiday when it comes to movies, though a few notable examples celebrate the holiday surprisingly well. Compared to the manyclassic Christmas movies, Thanksgiving doesn’t have as many cinematic representatives, with far less holiday trappings to base an entire feature film off of. However, several films have dared to take place during Thanksgiving or even center their entire plot around it, resulting in a variety of wildly differing stories featuring the famous traditional American feast.
Some Thanksgiving movies are traditional holiday films, evoking warm, cozy vibes or family-friendly laughs. Others are only technically Thanksgiving movies in the same way thatDie Hardis technically a Christmas movie, taking place during the season without directly acknowledging it with narrative or themes. Regardless of the type, there are a few notable Thanksgiving movies that deserve a spot as a yearly tradition to view.
10Planes, Trains, And Automobiles
1987
One of the few films to already be established as required Thanksgiving viewing for many households,Planes, Trains and Automobilesis a relatable buddy road trip adventure comedy. The film stars Steve Martin as a jaded family man racing to make it across the country to his family in time for Thanksgiving dinner, as he’d promised them. Much to his chagrin, he picks up John Candy’s Del Griffith, an obnoxious, yet friendly single salesman who makes the journey of Martin’s Neal Page a nail-biting ordeal.
It’s easy to see whyPlanes, Trains and Automobilesbecame such a venerated annual classic for many. Martin and Candy’s chemistry and slow evolution from one-sided friendship to brotherly bond is a treat to watch deserving of a spot on the average Thanksgiving dessert spread. The film also places some much-needed awareness on the fact that not everyone has an idyllic family to go home to every holiday season.
9Spider-Man
2002
The modern dominance of the superhero genre still owes a lot tothe original Sam RiamiSpider-Mantrilogy. In the first entry of the series, Peter Parker’s origin story as Spider-Man is told, following his iconic story from the fateful radioactive spider-bite to the final confrontation with the Green Goblin. But it’s easy to forget that the canonical time period of the film spans the Thanksgiving season, making the film serve double-duty as a worthwhile holiday film, as well.
The scene that best representsSpider-Manas a Thanksgiving movie is, of course, the Thanksgiving dinner scene, in which Willem Dafoe’s delightfully evil Green Goblin slowly comes out over the course of a single tense dinner. The battle between Spider-Man and Green Goblin among massive inflatable parade floats in New York City also evokes the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, even if it technically is another event. This little bit of seasonal flair helps keepSpider-Mansuch a memorable and fun time, even over 20 years later.
8Dutch
1991
Dutchis a film that explores the awkwardness and stress of sharing the holidays with family members that one might not have the most in common with. Ed O’Neill stars as the titular character, a boorish middle-class roughneck who is forced to rub shoulders with his girlfriend’s snobbish, upper-crust family for the holiday season. Tasked with extracting his girlfriend’s uppity son for the holidays after her ex-husband goes MIA on a work trip, Dutch and his new charge bond over the course of a chaotic, mishap-fueled road trip.
Though critically-panned upon its release,Dutchhas since enjoyed a small cult following as the years have passed, emphasizing its holiday themes. John Hughes may have been somewhat derivative of both his earlier work andPlanes, Trains, and Automobileswith the film, but it still bears enough of a distinction on its own to be worth watching outside this copycat context. A heartfelt, feel-good stew of nostalgia,Dutchgets some well-deserved holiday love outside of the critical circuit as a lovable 90s time capsule.
7A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
1973
Charlie Brown has become a fixture in many households for different holidays, fromA Charlie Brown ChristmastoIt’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.In 1977, Charles Schulz’s classicPeanutscharacters were brought to yet another holiday, instantly becoming one of the most beloved films associated with it, for lack of competition if nothing else. This time around, Charlie Brown deals with the stress and anxiety of hosting a large Thanksgiving dinner for all of his friends despite having little to no culinary skills.
Admittedly,A Charlie Brown Thanksgivingis more of a TV special than a feature film, ending its modest story at a mere 25-minute runtime. That doesn’t keep it from having any less value as a cozy tradition for that special time of year, however, earning its place as one of the most venerated and recognizable Thanksgiving movies. Still one of thebest Charlie Brown specials,A Charlie Brown Thanksgivingis the epitome of easy viewing with seldom-seen family members.
6ThanksKilling
2009
On the polar opposite of the Thanksgiving movie spectrum from Charlie Brown sitsThanksKilling.Certainly not a family-friendly film,ThanksKillingis nevertheless the perfect slew of holiday fun for the right crowd. The little-known horror B-movie revolves around a sentient talking turkey that commits a grisly spree of murders as part of an ancient Native American curse. Knowingly campy and made on a shoestring budget,ThanksKillingis a titan of so-bad-its-good holiday-themed horror filth.
No silent slasher protagonist, the creatively-named Turkie is more Freddy Krueger than Jason, trash talking his victims with a string of obscenities before violating them in unspeakable ways. The abject horror of the film on-paper is diluted by the hilariously cheap creature effects and amateurish acting, making for a gut-bustingly funny murder romp for those with dark senses of humor.“Gobble gobble, motherf***er”, indeed.
5Thanksgiving
2023
For those looking for aholiday-themed slasherthat tries a little bit harder, the simply-titledThanksgivingis a great pick. From the mind of horror visionary Eli Roth,Thanksgivingis a rare example of a fake trailer for an in-universe movie in another film that became its own real feature. The plot centers on an ax murderer dressed as a pilgrim, nicknamed “John Carver”, who targets the survivors of a deadly customer stampede at a Black Friday sale on the anniversary of the tragedy, leaving a slew of gruesome social media posts in his wake.
A more masterful and deliberate combination of humor and gore,Thanksgivinggets surprisingly high marks for its run-of-the-mill masked villain. The gore is shockingly intense for a film of this level of visual slickness, making for a welcome (or unwelcome) surprise for the curious viewer. The grindhouse feast for the eyes is still quite new, but is very likely to become a yearly touchstone for horror fans the world over.
4Grumpy Old Men
1993
Another film that uses Thanksgiving as more of a set dressing than a narrative core,Grumpy Old Menis an astute romantic comedy that could get a lot of mileage as a recurring watch each year. Taking place in the desolate snow-swept tundra of rural Minnesota, the central conflict of the film hinges on a love triangle between two crotchety friends and a new professor who moves into their neighborhood. What follows is the fallout of a friendship that turns out to have been as delicate as the icy lakes it was formed over, catalyzed by the sudden romantic interest.
For those that watchedFargoand were most invested in the small-town drama,Grumpy Old Menis a great suggestion for the holidays. While the plot technically follows through to Christmas and even lasts all the way till Spring, an intimate Thanksgiving dinner scene early on in the runtime is easily one of the movie’s biggest highlights. Cheerful, brisk, and chock-full of tangible chemistry,Grumpy Old Menis a reliable choice to reach for when the holidays roll around.
3Rocky
1976
By far one of themost inspirational sports movies ever made, the originalRockyneeds little introduction. The big break and passion project of later 80s action star Sylvester Stallone,Rockytells the powerful story of the titular puguilist’s journey from an amateur boxer to standing across the corner from one of the greatest athletes of his generation. For all its strengths,Rockyalso works quite well as a Thanksgiving movie.
Again, likeDutch, Rockytechnically stretches out all the way till New Year’s Eve, where the title fight against Apollo Creed takes place. But one of the most memorable scenes in the film is the bit in which Rocky’s best friend Paulie gets him a date with his shy sister, Adrian, who, of course, ends up becoming Rocky’s wife, on Thanksgiving night. Watching Paulie rip a healthy leg off of Adrian’s roasted turkey before tossing it into the alley to chase her out of the house with Rocky is sure to get the appetite stirring in many a Thanksgiving household.
2American Gangster
2007
One of the rare films in which Denzel Washington is able to play a villainous (or at least, morally bankrupt) character,American Gangsteralso holds the honor of being the distinguished actor’s only time on-screen preparing a Thanksgiving feast. The biopic offers a fictionalized version of the life of real gangster Frank Lucas, a notable drug lord that ruled over Harlem in the 60s and 70s with his heroin trade.American Gangstertook the time to show the multifaceted nature of Lucas, including his life as a simple family man.
This double-sided personality is highlighted by the Thanksgiving dinner scene, in which Lucas' family gathers around to eat turkey and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, just like any typical American household. Of course, at the same time, a live caged turkey is sent to Josh Brolin’s Detective Trupo, who then watches his prized Mustang explode thanks to a bomb placed by Lucas' men. As a tale of American excess and greed, it’s quite fitting forAmerican Gangsterto take place around such a gluttonous holiday.
1Free Birds
2013
In all honesty,Free Birdssneaks into the cadre of best Thanksgiving movies only due to sheer lack of competition, but that doesn’t mean the animated movie has no value for the holiday season. As infamously repeated ad nauseam by the memes that surrounded the film,Free Birdsis about a rafter of turkeys who go back in time to the first Thanksgiving to get turkeys off the menu. Specifically, the effort is led by Woody Harrelson’s Jake, a wild turkey who recruits Owen Wilson’s Reggie, the recipient of the president’s yearly turkey pardon.
Despite the creative premise, most of the best jokes ofFree Birdsactually occur in the present day, with the action of the time-traveling shenanigans somehow being less compelling. In a way, this makes it the perfect post-Thanksgiving meal movie, a mildly-entertaining distraction for 20 minutes or so before one drifts off into a food-induced coma, after which the negligible quality can go unnoticed. Even if it goes unnoticed compared to thebest animated Christmas films,Free Birdsrules supreme in the world of Thanksgivingmovies.
