Thanksgiving Movies

  

108774 comments so far (is that a lot?)http://www.parcbench.com/2009/11/25/thanksgiving-movies/Thanksgiving+Movies2009-11-25+15%3A14%3A04Greg+Victor

Written by Greg VictorcloseAuthor: Greg Victor Name: Greg Victor
Email: Greg@parcbench.com
Site:
About: Greg Victor (Parcbench Culture Editor) is a historian, pop culture critic, and theatrical dramaturg and has stage managed theatrical productions on Broadway and on tour, including Billy Joel's "Movin' Out", Monty Python's "Spamalot" and more.See Authors Posts (225) on November 25, 2009

Maybe you consider vampires and werewolves passé since Halloween was over weeks ago. Maybe you just aren’t ready to deal with Scrooge in 3-D quite yet. So maybe you’re just not into going out to a movie this weekend. How about staying in and watching a classic November film instead? Whatever the case, somewhere between the Great Pumpkin and the Grinch, there’s got to be something worth watching to help you put off doing the dishes this Thanksgiving.

(The list is limited to five, since I didn’t feel like promoting movies about family dysfunction that just happen to be set during Thanksgiving. So you won’t find Woody Allen’s “Hannah and Her Sisters” or Pauly Shore in “Family Man” on the list.)

And so here it is, the Top Thanksgiving Movies from Parcbench:

5) “What’s Cooking?”
The story of four families, along with the preparations they go through on Thanksgiving. The movie focuses on family traditions that are Jewish, African-American, Vietnamese, and Latino. It’s got a great cast, including Mercedes Ruehl, Alfre Woodard, Kyra Sedgwick and Julianna Margulies in this warm sleeper.

4) “Home for the Holidays”
She may have won an Academy Award for some other film, but Holly Hunter will forever be known for her performance as Claudia Larson, a newly unemployed single mother forced to spend Thanksgiving with her parents (Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning). Just when things look dismal, the promise of romance with Dylan McDermott provides just the right flavor for the big family holiday. This movie was Jodie Foster’s directorial debut and she did an admirable job; showing how a tense Thanksgiving with a crazy family can also be hilarious. The movie is stuffed with superb actors including Robert Downey Jr., Claire Danes, Anne Bancroft, Austin Pendleton, and David Strathairn.

3) “Pieces of April”
Ever have that nightmare that your family is coming to your place and you aren’t sure if you can pull off that whole edible turkey dinner thing? Well, you’re not alone. In this film, Katie Holmes invites her family to Thanksgiving dinner at her tiny pad in New York’s Lower East Side. Can this independent young woman really cook her first turkey? Sure… until the stove breaks.

2) “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”
It’s all about making it home for the holidays in this movie. Blizzards, strikes, and delays be damned. But there’s no place like home, and nothing will stop Steve Martin and the late John Candy from making it home in time for that turkey dinner and the family around the table. This is possibly the best work given to us from director John Hughes. So sit back at home, while you watch the two travelers who capture the spirit of this annual ritual — and the nightmare of the travel required to get there. Since this will probably be a repeat viewing, look for appearances by Ben Stein, Kevin Bacon, and Edie McClurg.

1) Your Own Family’s Home Movies
Who needs Hollywood to help celebrate a day of family, faith and thanks? Not us. Is there anything more satisfying than sharing your own family’s memories as you gather together, or even more so, if you are alone? Go to the attic or basement and dig out the ancient home movies, slides, or even VHS tapes. Don’t have any way to view them? Maybe you can even get them transferred to DVD by Christmas.

Related Articles

No related photos.