The Humans
This one's for all the dysfunctional families out there. Can you make some noise? Based on a one-act play of the same name—yes, it reads like a play, get with it haters—The Humans stars Richard Jenkins, Beanie Feldstein, Amy Schumer, and Steven Yeun as members of a family who spend Thanksgiving together in a rundown (read: standard) Manhattan apartment near Ground Zero. It's not funny in a "haha" way, but there is humor in how well-written this movie is. Like any good family gathering, the subtext is riddled with tension, decades-held resentments, and lots of ugly love.
2Prisoners
If you need to balance out the sickly sweet taste of gratitude and apple pie, then give Prisoners a stream and invite the whole family! The dark thriller takes place on Thanksgiving and stars Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal as a father and detective who work together to find two young girls gone missing after Thanksgiving dinner. For the sake of everyone's anxiety levels, keep the kids inside for this one.
3The Blind Side
Okay, we know what you're thinking. The reputation of this movie has certainly been tainted following this year's shocking news that the real family allegedly made millions off their adopted son turned star football player, but it's still a great movie. The Blind Side follows the maybe-not-so-true (and now soured) story of NFL player Michael Oher who was adopted by a wealthy white family in Tennessee. The movie is peak White Saviorism, which coincidentally, is kind of the undertone of the entire Thanksgiving holiday. Yikes.
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4Dan in Real Life
Starring Steve Carell, Dan in Real Life follows a widower with a newspaper advice column who takes his three daughters to his family home in Rhode Island for an annual gathering. Said annual gathering is not turkey nor tree related, but it might as well be.
5She's Gotta Have It
This 1986 Spike Lee comedy drama follows a young artist named Nola living in Brooklyn and juggling three men, opting not to commit to any of them. An icon. She's Gotta Have It is admittedly not a Thanksgiving movie at all, but there is one scene in which all three suitors meet at Nola's apartment over a Thanksgiving feast.
6Rocky
Did you know? Three films in the Rocky franchise open on Thanksgiving Day. In our books, that makes this and every consequent Rocky movie a Thanksgiving must-watch.
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7Tadpole
This under-discussed rom-com stars Aaron Stanford as a sharp young boarding school student traveling home for Thanksgiving with one goal: to win the heart of his dream girl, his stepmother.
8Silver Linings Playbook
This movie came out just before Thanksgiving, and there's a good reason why. It's got everything you need for a good holiday flick, from family drama to love story you're rooting for. Plus Jennifer Lawrence, Bradley Cooper, and Robert De Niro all give top-notch performances in it.
9Soul Food
This family comedy will have you laughing, crying, and everything in between. With its seemingly-endless scenes of big family dinners, it's very on brand for Thanksgiving.
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10Knives Out
Let's be honest. Family holidays can be a little, well, dysfunctional, so if you want your cozy fall vibes with a side of family tension and murder mystery, you've gotta throw Knives Out on. Chris Evans in a cable-knit sweater is reason enough alone to watch this.
11Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow
Jim Henson (aka the creator of The Muppets) made this Thanksgiving movie a few years ago, and it's honestly an under-appreciated gem. It's got a recently divorced dad taking his kids for Thanksgiving, an eccentric town with no technology, and a local legend about a 10-foot-tall monster. If that doesn't pique your interest, idk what will.
12This indie comedy was easy to miss when it first came out, but it's definitely worth a watch. It's a coming-of-age movie about five friends who come home for Thanksgiving during their first year of college and start to realize how much things have changed.
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13Miracle on 34th Street
Alright, I know this might be more traditionally classified as a Christmas movie, BUT it starts off at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which, IMHO, makes it the perfect way to cap off your Thanksgiving and get pumped for the rest of the holiday season.
14A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
I meannnn is there anything more *Thanksgiving* than A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving?? No! There's not! The movie is also only 30 minutes long, so you can probably make it all the way through before slipping into your turkey-induced coma.
15Little Women
Some movies just give off a fall vibe, and Little Women is one of them. It may not involve Thanksgiving per se (although there is a big holiday dinner involved), but all the family love you see in the movie is what Thanksgiving is all about!
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16When Harry Met Sally
Speaking of fall vibes, When Harry Met Sally is another gem from the genre. Although the most memorable food-related scene is that one in Katz's Deli, the most quotable is when Harry and Sally are doing weird voices, just repeating the phrase "pecan pie."
17Addams Family Values
All hell breaks loose when Uncle Fester falls in love with serial killer Debbie. Feel free to engage in a friendly debate with your family members about any of the following topics: the better Addams Family film, Wednesday’s iconic style, and—of course—the iconic Thanksgiving pageant.
18Friendsgiving (2020)
This flick is all about a Friendsgiving celebration that’s jam-packed with dysfunction—like, a lot of it. Who wouldn't want to watch some friendly chaos unfold? Plus, its ensemble cast includes Malin Åkerman, Kat Dennings, Chelsea Peretti, and Aisha Taylor.
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19The Turkey Bowl
A 30-something former high school footballer returns to his hometown for Thanksgiving in order to finish a 15-year-old football game against his old rivals in this holiday comedy.
20The Oath
In this dark comedy, Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz star as a married couple who vow not to discuss politics (and a controversial new loyalty oath) during Thanksgiving dinner with their extended families, but it isn't long before that plan goes off the rails.
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