7 Thanksgiving Films for the Whole Family

7 Thanksgiving Films for the Whole Family

Thanksgiving traditions vary from family to family. Some tussle over whether or not to put marshmallows in sweet potato casserole, while others swap the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade for a football game. Many people also watch a movie with their families after their Thanksgiving feast.

From goofy comedies and relationship dramas to fall-themed mysteries and spooky family shenanigans. Here are some of the best Thanksgiving movie choices you can stream to get you in the holiday spirit.

Nothing could be more nostalgic than a Steve Martin/John Candy duet in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, which follows two people stranded in Wichita after an unfortunate flight change and struggling to make it back to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. Neil (Martin) is a hardened man who has a hard time getting back to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. Neil (Martin) is an uptight advertising executive who has little time to get caught up in the whirlwind of chaos that Del (Candy) has brought with him. But to survive the long journey, Neil must learn to overcome his frustration with Del and learn how to get along. Long a staple of Thanksgiving cable television, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" is a holiday classic.

Streaming on Paramount Plus

"Fantastic Mr. Fox," based on Roald Dahl's children's novel, may not be a definite Thanksgiving film, but it is certainly a film about feasting. George Clooney stars as Mr. Fox, an enterprising stop-motion fox who makes a living stealing food from three local farmers. It's like stealing candy from a baby, but not before the farmers fight back, forcing Mr. Fox and his friends to get a little more creative, including devising a plan to dig underground tunnels to their respective warehouses. Filled with Wes Anderson's endlessly creative vision, "Fantastic Mr. Fox" is a quirky film for kids and adults alike.

Stream on Max

Thanksgiving is certainly a lovely, heartwarming holiday with lots of good food and quality time spent with family. However, as "A Piece of April" shows, Thanksgiving can also be a tremendous burden. Katie Holmes plays April, the black sheep of the family, determined to host Thanksgiving for her parents and younger siblings and prove to everyone that she is not the total failure they think she is. However, things quickly become complicated by the nonfunctioning oven in her small New York apartment that won't even hold a pigeon, let alone a turkey, her mother's cancer diagnosis, and the snobbish attitudes of her neighbors' families. With strong performances from the principal cast, "Piece of April" is the perfect indie film for your Thanksgiving meal.

Streaming on Tubi

At first glance, "Addams Family Values" seems like a perfect Halloween film, given its horrifying protagonist family. However, it is actually a perfect movie for Thanksgiving for several reasons. One is the iconic scene in which Wednesday (Christina Ricci), performing a Thanksgiving musical at a disturbingly hilarious summer camp, runs amok and burns down Thanksgiving, both figuratively and literally. Debbie Jelinski (Joan Cusack) uses a slideshow to narrate the many ways she has been treated by her loved ones. Who hasn't witnessed a scene like this on Thanksgiving?

Streaming on Paramount Plus

What happens when you put working-class Ed O'Neill and a snobbish prep school student played by a young Ethan Embry together? An underrated Thanksgiving comedy, that's what this is. Just before the vacations, Dutch Dooley (O'Neill) is asked to pick up his girlfriend's son Doyle (Embry) from boarding school. But Dutch refuses to treat Doyle like a little prince, and the two soon clash, making the cross-country trip a test of patience. As soon as Dutch and Doyle begin to bond against each other's better judgment, Dutch charms the audience.

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If there is one thing that both film and reality have taught us, it is that family holidays are rarely what we want them to be. Home for the Holidays stars Holly Hunter as Claudia, a single mother who is upset by the news that her daughter will not be spending Thanksgiving with her, but decides to return home to be with her family. Her parents and siblings are dysfunctional, and this is not an easy choice. But sparks fly between Claudia and her brother's new business partner (Dylan McDermott). The two could have an ultra-rare romance in a Thanksgiving movie.

Streaming on Paramount Plus With Showtime

The sheer number of cable-knit sweaters in "Knives Out" alone is worthy of a Thanksgiving movie. Filled with pleasant fall weather and endless family drama, Rian Johnson's film is an Agatha Christie-style murder mystery starring Daniel Craig as private detective Benoit Blanc. After the patriarch of a wealthy family (Christopher Plummer) dies under bizarre circumstances, he hires private detective Benoit Blanc. Both funny and clever, the film gave the ensemble cast a lot of sparkle and made star Ana de Armas a star in the lead role.

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