There are a plethora of holiday movies out there, especially movies devoted to Christmas and Halloween, but there are relatively few Thanksgiving movies that are worth watching. A few of my favorites (including a classic TV show):
Home For The Holidays (1995): Jodie Foster’s humorously cynical take on the Thanksgiving holiday is laced with enough invective that one wonders if she didn’t find this material funny at all, but deadly serious instead. Nevertheless, I think most of us have had experiences with dysfunctional behavior in our family or someone else’s, and watching another’s take on the horror of the holidays can provide a nice escapist release from our own burdens. Holly Hunter strikes the perfect tone as a beleaguered three-headed monster comprised of mother, sister and daughter, and the supporting cast likewise hits all the right notes. The script is smart and appropriately uncomfortable in spots. The ending is quietly poignant. If nothing else, this movie makes me thankful for my family.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973): Charlie Brown gets no respect. Christmas sees him choosing the most pathetic tree of the lot, Halloween gifts him with nothing but rocks. And here on Thanksgiving, his loving and loyal dog Snoopy serves up a Thanksgiving feast of…popcorn and toast. The Charlie Brown holiday trilogy is a treat, and this was the last of the three to be produced. Maybe it’s just because I watched this yearly when I was a kid, but I find myself forever charmed by the dated (but very cool) 1970s music and the adult manner with which creator Charles Schulz infuses his characters, who are never patronized. Worth watching every year, especially with the kids.
Pieces of April (2003): Once upon a time, before she involved herself with that crazy Cruise fella, Katie Holmes used to be an actress, and this movie was one of her roles of real note. Filmed on a cut-rate budget and relying largely on improvisational acting, Holmes’ portrait of a struggling young woman coming to terms with adulthood as she tries to impress her family by hosting a Thanksgiving feast is both bemusing and familiar, and it remains some of her best work.
Holiday Inn (1942): If you’re pining for the “good old days”, this is the movie for you. Unreservedly dated and locked in a 1940s fantasy land, they simply don’t make them like this any more, and they probably never will again. Not strictly a Thanksgiving movie (the focus near the end is actually on Christmas), but still a good one for hitting many holidays in succession. Classic crooner Bing Crosby has rarely been smoother, and although by today’s standards the story and dialogue are decidedly treacly, it’s all rather engrossing if you let it put you in the right mood. Take it for what it is and marvel at the many outstanding singing and dancing performances, and you might find yourself enjoying this one on a yearly basis.
Miracle on 34th Street (1947): More of a Christmas movie than a Thanksgiving movie, Miracle on 34th Street nevertheless uses Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade as the launching point for this tale of a department store Kris Kringle and the question of whether or not he is the real Santa Claus. Little girl Natalie Wood is cute as a button and liberally displays the native acting talent that served her so well as an adult. Recommended viewing for any time during November and December.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987): The mother of all Thanksgiving movies, John Hughes classic take on the struggle travelers endure to get home for the holidays is at once hilarious and understated. It can be enjoyed on a superficial level as just another buddy/road picture, but it has much more to offer than that. Helped along by the terrific chemistry between stars Steve Martin and John Candy, the script explores concepts like friendship, loneliness, alienation, loss and sorrow. Does that make it sound heavy? Director Hughes treats it all with a light touch as only he can, and what results is heartwarming and laugh-out-loud funny, even in the darkest situations. Easily my favorite Thanksgiving movie of the bunch.