Black Friday sales probably have you deep in your Christmas shopping already, but don’t forget we’ve got another holiday to get through first. And while nothing gets you in the mood for the holidays like a good Christmas movie, there are a host (no pun intended) of Thanksgiving movies too.
Now, there are plenty of films with Thanksgiving vibes (family gatherings and cozy fall colors), but you have to dig a bit deeper if you want that holiday specificity. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles gets mentioned overwhelmingly when people are asked about their favorite Turkey Day movie, in part because it’s a legitimately good, but also because it’s one of the few that people remember, but it’s far from the only one. Here are 20 to stream while you’re cooking, eating, or settling into a food coma this year.
What’s Cooking? (2000)
While movies and TV often portray a sameness in traditions, every culture, subculture, and family that celebrates brings its own sets of traditions and baggage to the holiday. What’s Cooking? brings together four ethnically and culturally diverse families (Latino, Vietnamese, Jewish, and African American…with a lesbian couple in the mix) who celebrate Thanksgiving together, with each contributing different foods (and family dramas) to the proceedings. Mercedes Ruehl, Kyra Sedgwick, Joan Chen, Lainie Kazan, Julianna Margulies, and Alfre Woodard lead the impressive cast. Stream What’s Cooking on Prime Video and Tubi or rent it from Apple TV.
Home for the Holidays (1995)
Jodie Foster followed up her 1991 directorial debut Little Man Tate with this all-star holiday get-together. Holly Hunter stars as Claudia Larson, a just-fired single mom coming back to Baltimore to spend Thanksgiving with her family. Because what could be less stressful? Her old friends make her feel insecure about being divorced; her mom’s sister Gladys, in the early stages of dementia, confesses her love for her father; her gay brother drops a turkey on the conservative sister; and a friendly after-dinner wrestling match gets serious. Sounds generally less explosive than my typical family gathering, but still. Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft, Charles Durning, Dylan McDermott, Claire Danes, Austin Pendleton, and David Strathairn also star. Stream Home for the Holidays on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
One of John Hughes’ best movies barely involves teenagers at all, instead serving as a two-hander between Steve Martin and John Candy, a pair of desperately mismatched travelers headed to their respective Thanksgiving gatherings. Only the most fortunate among us have been spared the torments of holiday travel, and Hughes captures those trials, even as the movie reaches more absurd heights as the protagonists near their destinations—with enough well-earned sweetness by the end to lift this one into the holiday pantheon. Stream Planes, Trains, and Automobiles on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1972)
At only 25 minutes, this holiday special perhaps doesn’t count as a movie, but it packs a lot of holiday spirit into its short runtime. As Charlie and Sally make plans to head off to their grandparents’ for Thanksgiving dinner, Peppermint Patty finds herself adrift, her father out of town. So she goes ahead and invites herself, and the rest of the gang, over to the Brown place—with no dinner planned. Charlie’s determined to do right by his friends, even if he doesn’t know how to make much more than toast. Troubles naturally ensue. But what Thanksgiving prep doesn’t involve drama? Between scenes of Snoopy’s antics are some subtle lessons about managing expectations and finding the real meaning of gathering with friends. Stream A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving on Apple TV+.
Addams Family Values (1993)
Say what you like about the Addams family (go ahead! They will not care); they’re one of the most loving and mutually supportive families in pop culture. I’d rather spend Thanksgiving dinner with them than almost any other fictional family (though I might bring my own food). The nod to the holiday here isn’t to a meal, though, but to the national mythology around which the holiday is built. When camp counsellors make the mistake of asking Wednesday and Pugsley to participate in a seasonal play, they turn it into a fiery indigenous revenge fantasy par excellence. Having white kids playing Native Americans doesn’t do much by way of indigenous representation, but at least the movie doesn’t glorify early contact. The Addams’ are definitely screwed up, but they’re doing better than most of us. Rent Addams Family Values from Prime Video and Apple TV.
The Ice Storm (1997)
Perhaps not family viewing, precisely—though I’m hardly here to judge yours. Journey back to 1973 in Ang Lee’s Thanksgiving-set classic, as gathering for the annual dinner brings out dark secrets in the lives of two clans in a quiet, picture-perfect suburb. The meal gives way to a key party (ask your grandparents) weekend, which, if it had caught on, might have seen swinging and group sex with the neighbors become as much of a holiday tradition as green bean casserole. Alas. Rent The Ice Storm from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Pieces of April (2003)
Katie Holmes stars as the title’s April Burns in this indy dramedy built around an unconventional Thanksgiving celebration for an extremely dysfunctional family. April lives in a tiny Lower East Side apartment but is nevertheless determined to gather the entire family for dinner—though she’s estranged from her parents and her siblings, her mom Joy (Patricia Clarkson) has breast cancer, and there’s every chance that this will be her last holiday. But April’s best intentions can’t make things go smoothly. Her broken stove is a problem, as is her drug-dealer ex. And her very suburban family members will have to get over their fear of THE CITY. Thankfully, there’s some holiday cheer to be had, even if it’s desperately hard won. Stream Pieces of April on Tubi and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Another one that’s probably not for the whole family, this grisly, satirical Thanksgiving-themed slasher from director Eli Roth kicks off with one of those early-morning Black Friday sales that are totally fun, and where nothing could ever possibly go wrong. Taking a cue from real-life events, a crowd lined-up outside of a Wal-Mart-esque big box store gets unruly when they see the owner’s daughter inside early with her friends. A stampede ensues, and it’s so horrific it’s nearly funny; customers and staff are killed with abandon by out-of-control shoppers (though it doesn’t feel that far removed from some of the Black Friday near-tramplings we’ve seen on the news). The following year? A mystery killer seeks holiday-themed revenge. Stream Thanksgiving on Hulu or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Lez Bomb (2018)
A charming, if lesser-known suburban comedy about the very relatable experience of trying to come out at a family gathering, and the ensuing mixed reactions. Jenna Laurenzo writes, directs, and stars as Lauren, who’s all ready to introduce her girlfriend to the family at Thanksgiving…until her male roommate shows up, and everyone auumes he’s her boyfriend. Stream Lez Bomb on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
For Your Consideration (2006)
What does any Thanksgiving gathering need but more lesbian coming-out drama? This essential Christopher Guest mockumentary follows the production of an arthouse movie initially called Home for Purim, starring Callie Webb (Parker Posey) as a young woman who brings her girlfriend to a holiday dinner during the 1940s. As the absolutely cursed production gains Oscar buzz, the studio takes things in hand, deciding that the setting of a movie called “Home for Purim,” is way too Jewish. Soon, our cast and crew (played by Guest mainstays Catherine O’Hara, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean, Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, and Jane Lynch) are promoting “Home for Thanksgiving,” which is the relatively thin thread by which I’ll hang the movie on this list. Watch it now, and then watch it again during Oscar season. Rent For Your Consideration from Prime Video and Apple TV.
Mistress America (2015)
In this screwball-style holiday comedy, Greta Gerwig (who also co-wrote the film with director Noah Baumbach) plays Brooke, an unstoppable force who’s some combination of influencer, interior designer, and fitness instructor—and who’s nevertheless barely holding things together. Tracy (Lola Kirke), meanwhile, is a quiet, intense college freshman. Tracy’s mom is about to marry Brooke’s dad. The two women hit it off immediately, but their differences set off a sting of fairly zany happenings that all lead to a funny, poignant, and very New York Thanksgiving dinner. Rent Mistress America from Prime Video and Apple TV.
The Humans (2021)
The past is very much present at nearly any family gathering, and that’s the case in this psychological drama, written and directed by Stephen Karam, who also wrote the Tony-winning and Pulitzer-nominated play on which it’s closely based. It begins with a father struggling with 9/11-related trauma at his adult daughter’s apartment, which is too close to ground zero for his comfort (and might also possibly be haunted). Everyone brings traumas and resentments to the holiday table—but the movie is smart and subtle enough to avoid obvious beats and easy answers. Stream The Humans on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
What do you think so far?
The House of Yes (1997)
Screwball dark comedy The House of Yes is, perhaps, not terribly representative of any particular American family at Thanksgiving—unless you too have a psychotic sister (Parker Posey) who believes that she’s Jackie Onassis. This is Posey in her wacky indie golden age, starring in a darkly funny seasonal comedy which, OK, includes incest and murder so, you know, maybe don’t watch it with the kids. But as a heightened version of the kinds of wackiness that family members can bring to the dinner table, it rings true. Rent The House of Yes from Prime Video and Apple TV.
The Daytrippers (1996)
You could spend an entire afternoon watching classic ‘90s Parker Posey movies—which honestly sounds better than 80% of typical Thanksgiving activities. Here she’s crammed into a Buick with Hope Davis and Live Schreiber as they head out on a day-after-Thanksgiving road trip to track down Davis’ husband and confront him about his cheating ways. Stream The Daytrippers on HBO Max and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video and Apple TV.
The Myth of Fingerprints (1997)
Upper-middle class white family dysfunction was a big topic in the 1990s, and this is a standout example of the form. On one level, it’s another story of a family coming together over the holidays while grappling with resentments and secrets and abusive histories, but it’s a big step up from the typical family drama, unravelling the various relationships w
