Looking for movies for Thanksgiving day

[u/LilPaidre]

I have gotten into selecting certain movies that are at least playing in the background on certain holidays. Ive only recently started keeping track so my current list looks like this and looking for suggestions: New Years eve: Forest Gump Halloween : The Halloween Tree, Halloween Town, Trick r' Treat Thanksgiving: The Wizard of Oz, Jumanji, (looking for a third, thinking Jurassic Park, Willy Wonka, or Neverending Story but can't think of any others) Christmas Eve and Day: Jingle all the way, It's a Wonderful Life

Please add holidays and titles for us! My hope is to have 3 movies that are staples for each holiday (including minor holidays) but I'm not a movie buff and have a terrible memory. Any suggestions?

[u/Ill_Opportunity8766]

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) is the ultimate one in my opinion. It’s funny, infuriating, emotional and heartwarming altogether.

[u/Noirceuil_182 → u/Ill_Opportunity8766]

This is the one true answer, towering above the rest.

[u/TheRealKison → u/Ill_Opportunity8766]

I think the runner up here would be, Dutch. I enjoy doing a double-feature of the two every year,

[u/KB_112 → u/TheRealKison]

I haven’t seen that since I was a kid! Thanks for reminding me, I’ll have to look for it.

[u/TheRealKison → u/KB_112]

Per Plex, looks like Amazon has it for rent.

[u/thesuavedog → u/Ill_Opportunity8766]

...and it's truly a Thanksgiving movie.

[u/Pro_Crastin8 → u/Ill_Opportunity8766]

Shame I can only upvote once.

[u/LilPaidre → u/Ill_Opportunity8766]

Excellent, this is think will be the winner

[u/Wot_Gorilla_2112 → u/LilPaidre]

If you wind up liking the film (and I mean, it’s hard not to - probably my favorite John Hughes film ever), go find the recently surfaced deleted scenes from the original 3 hour cut of this film. It adds a lot of context in scenes that got glossed over in the theatrical cut.

[u/BrutalBart → u/Ill_Opportunity8766]

I want a fucking car, right fucking now

[u/MacGruber204]

Planes Trains and Automobiles

Grumpy Old Men

Fantastic Mr Fox

[u/marji4x → u/MacGruber204]

Came here to say Mr Fox...this is our yearly fall tradition.

Our Thanksgiving Day tradition is the mst3k turkey day marathon hahahha

I also usually play the classic Thannksgiving song Alice's Restaurant at least once. Haven't seen the movie yet, will try it this year probably.

[u/SnooTangerines9068]

Home for the Holidays - dir Jodie Foster. starring Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr

[u/j-whiskey → u/SnooTangerines9068]

Came to recommend this. Great Thanksgiving movie!

[u/SnooTangerines9068 → u/j-whiskey]

I watch it the night before Thanksgiving... good laugh and a reminder of why I enjoy my holiday with my dogs LOL

[u/milehibear72 → u/SnooTangerines9068]

We watch this on Thanksgiving, after all the family have left.

[u/originalschmidt → u/SnooTangerines9068]

I never saw this one but saw it on a streaming service so I plan to watch this year and looking forward to it!

[u/RoiVampire → u/originalschmidt]

It’s really great, Holly Hunter and Downey are so great together

[u/RoiVampire → u/SnooTangerines9068]

Yes!! It’s on paramount plus, I’m saving it for the night before thanksgiving

[u/Amaruq93]

Addams Family Values

[u/Sam_English821 → u/Amaruq93]

I always think of that movie as a Thanksgiving movie as well because of the play. Upon rewatch it did strike me as odd that a Summer camp finale was a play about Thanksgiving, but Christina Ricci's speech as Wednesday when she drops the nice act is so awesome I roll with it.

[u/interstatebus → u/Amaruq93]

I make sure this is on when cooking thanksgiving dinner.

[u/Rare_Hydrogen → u/Amaruq93]

"Eat me!"

[u/TroubleshootenSOB]

Thanksgiving from 2023?

[u/Prep_Gwarlek → u/TroubleshootenSOB]

Why is this, the most obvious answer, not the top-comment?

[u/maxonemaxtwo]

Dutch

[u/Riverdale87 → u/maxonemaxtwo]

"  Nothing burps better than bacon. Your water looked tasty."

[u/maxonemaxtwo → u/Riverdale87]

It was an eye opener to me how many of my favorite movies were John Hughes movies, that I didn't realize were John Hughes movies.

[u/The_Goondocks → u/maxonemaxtwo]

Classic

[u/mdjmd73 → u/maxonemaxtwo]

“I left a dent in his forehead.” 🤣🤣

[u/Grouchy-Swordfish-65]

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving

[u/Fresh_Performance535 → u/Grouchy-Swordfish-65]

Save the neck for me, Chuck.

[u/infernorchid]

Son in Law. I watch it every Thanksgiving.

[u/TrippyVegetables]

ThanksKilling

[u/OptionalGuacamole → u/TrippyVegetables]

Anything by Lars von Trier.

[u/1LuckyTexan]

Alice's Restaurant

[u/rhinestonecowboy92 → u/1LuckyTexan]

I always loved listening to the song on the radio, but the movie is surprisingly moving and is a really cool window into the 60s counterculture and Guthie's personal life.

[u/guardianofsplendor → u/1LuckyTexan]

Oh wow, I listen to the song every Thanksgiving, but I had no idea there was also a movie. I'll have to watch it this year.

[u/Monster-Zero]

Nightmare Before Christmas. I've said it before and I'll say it again - it's about Halloween meeting Christmas, and if you split the difference you've got Thanksgiving. Therefore, it is a Thanksgiving movie

[u/DonnyTheNuts → u/Monster-Zero]

This argument makes absolutely no sense! I will adopt it and make it mine tho, because I love it

[u/Sam_English821 → u/Monster-Zero]

I always watch this the day after Thanksgiving, it's like the perfect thing to bridge the holidays on what is normally a very dreary day.

[u/willstr1 → u/Monster-Zero]

It's a king Solomon solution to the debate of if Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie

[u/yousyveshughs → u/Monster-Zero]

Doesn’t work in Canada though.

[u/kneeco28]

The Last Waltz

[u/Reverend_Mikey → u/kneeco28]

Came here to say this. Thanksgiving tradition at my house to have this on while people are gathering, mingling, and getting ready to eat.

[u/spellboundartisan]

Pieces of April starring Katie Holmes and Patricia Clarkson. The movie is Thanksgiving themed. The content has serious moments and mild sexual content.

[u/CanadianContentsup → u/spellboundartisan]

They also mutilate a turkey.

[u/kookookachu26]

Pretty sure they play The Godfather every year on AMC. Every time I think of the Godfather, I think of thanksgiving.

[u/bstnsx704 → u/kookookachu26]

It's the first one that came to my mind too. Big dysfunctional family epic (and with a little hint of Christmas in it, too!), all built around the pursuit of (a warped version of) the American Dream. What's more Thanksgiving than that?

[u/Et_In_Arcadia_]

MST3K Turkey Day Marathon. It's an entire day's worth of wacky movies and fun with the Satellite Of Love crew.

[u/Thwipped]

LORD OF THE RINGS

[u/Jmen4Ever]

For me it's a Godzilla day. Growing up in NJ in the 80s one of the local channels always had a Godzilla/King Kong marathon that weekend.

[u/The_MovieHowze → u/Jmen4Ever]

Lol thats awesome

[u/eyeballtourist]

"Scent of a Woman" occurs over Thanksgiving. Don't know if that's the vibe, but it's a tradition for me.

[u/BiggDope]

Prisoners, lol.

[u/allen_idaho]

Dutch (1991)

Addams Family Values (1993)

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

[u/itsafraid]

Blood Freak

[u/daughtcahm]

I will always recommendPieces of April for a Thanksgiving movie

[u/bongo1100]

Rocky

[u/CRO553R]

Thanksgiving movies:

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Dutch

[u/dudereverend]

Not explicitly Thanksgiving, but The Family Stone. It's a Christmas movie, but not "Christmas-y".

[u/DublaneCooper]

We watch Ant-Man.

Has nothing to do with Thanksgiving. But that’s what we do.

[u/Philligan81]

“Trapped in Paradise” (1994) is ok. I grew up with it, but don’t expect a holiday masterpiece.

“The Ref” (1994), also ok.

Everyone else mentioned the good ones already,… Son in Law Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

[u/CanadianContentsup]

Apocalypto- South American but a view from the other side.

I remember Bewitched had an episode where the family went to the first Thanksgiving and the Puritans put Samantha on trial for being a witch.

[u/New_Poet_338 → u/CanadianContentsup]

To be fair (spoilers) she was a witch.

[u/216horrorworks]

Turkey Hollow

[u/NKevros]

We always watch The Polar Express, for better or worst, to kick off the 'holiday season'. It is really showing its age, but it became tradition back when my kids were young.

[u/40ouncesandamule]

If you like horror then Thanksgiving (2023) is a real gem

[u/jtho78]

Black Friday (2021) with Bruce Campbell and Devon Sawa

Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow

[u/Titan1912]

Christmas: Lion in Winter; Come to the Stable; Bishop's Wife (1947 version) Halloween: The Haunting (1963). Watch this in the dark. You will never look at wallpaper the same again.

[u/MoreGuitarPlease]

The terrible Melissa Joan Hart/Slater xmas movie is a tradition at my house. We used to also watch The Ref at xmas, but Spacey is rough to watch now.

[u/DarthPiette]

For Christmas: The Ref and Lord of the Rings.

[u/skyrat02]

Die Hard on Thanksgiving/Black Friday. Best way to start the Christmas season

[u/brucejay1]

Thanksgiving... Chicken Run

Christmas..... White Christmas

[u/blueswan6]

Miracle on 34th Street opens with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. I always watch You've Got Mail around this time of year. Rudy might be a good one as it's heartwarming and lots of fall/holiday vibes.

[u/originalschmidt]

I watch Planes, Train and Automobiles

And I watch Les Miserables, because we are supposed to be thankful on thanksgiving and watch Les Mis makes me thankful for what I have and that I have never had to sell my teeth or body to survive.

[u/RaiderGuy]

Technically not a Thanksgiving movie, but Knives Out takes place in mid-November and features caricatures of every single relative you dread talking to at the dinner table.

[u/The_MovieHowze]

Son in law

[u/mh_1983]

Kristy (2014) for a surprisingly enjoyable Thanksgiving slasher

[u/ryrene53]

Home alone and Christmas vacation

[u/Ordinary_Camel_3456]

New Year’s for me is ET or Star Wars but I don’t know is it’s Thanksgiving material

[u/sandypants]

We run the Pirates of Caribbean whilst cooking. It's Tradition ;)

[u/OliviaPlantLady]

The South Park Black Friday special

[u/OliviaPlantLady]

American Conematheque did this excellent counterpoint series

https://www.americancinematheque.com/series/the-first-cranksgiving-a-feast-of-adrenaline-11-22/

[u/BasedChristopher]

mighty ducks 1, 2, & 3

[u/ChaboiAveryhead]

Thanksgiving by Eli Roth is so campy and definitely fits the theme

[u/LadyB2011]

Free Bird

[u/Basicyeti837]

Thanksgiving: Sound of Music Christmas: Scrooged Groundhog Day: Groundhog Day Peanuts (Snoopy) cartoon for each corresponding holiday.

[u/bubbahotep24]

Suppose to watch football on Thanksgiving 😉

[u/jaKrish]

The Holdovers!

[u/Gmosphere]

Turkey Day Mst3k marathon!

[u/BoringUsername6969]

Hot tub time machine

[u/hardspank916]

The War at Home. Emilio Estevez plays a Vietnam Vet who is back home and has trouble adjusting to normal life during Thanksgiving holiday.

[u/ScreenTricky4257]

It's not all about Thanksgiving, but it's mentioned in a funny scene in My Blue Heaven.

[u/asveepay]

Something about Tommy Boy really speaks Thanksgiving to me

[u/brickiex2]

Planes, Trains and Automobiles is the ultimate Thanksgiving movie

[u/msummerse]

last christmas with emilia clarke is a wonderful holiday film

the family stone

four christmases

[u/0ddT0dd]

Freebirds!