Let’s face it: It’s prime Thanksgiving movies season already, because Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away (time!) and you know what that means: it’s time to start meticulously planning your Thanksgiving Day, minute by minute, as to minimize the amount of time you have to spend filling in various nebulously-related uncles and aunts on what you’ve achieved this year, and maximize the amount of time you can zone out with a glass of cheap red wine in front of a college basketball game you don’t give a shit about. It’s the American way.
When the plates are cleared, a Thanksgiving gathering normally disintegrates into one of two desperate final plays: a game, or a movie. Pray no one brought the dice this year, because, let’s face it, everyone’s full of turkey and butter and you just want to shut the hell up and watch something. Here are eight sure-fire Thanksgiving movies suitable for everything from a mass family reunion to saying “fuck it”, saying you’re sick, and staying home with a can of Chef Boyardee.
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Where to Watch It: Amazon Prime
The “Thanksgiving Movie” is, frankly, anything you want it to be. It’s not as commercial a pitch as a Christmas movie, and it’s far more narrow, culturally, which means you don’t get a lot of actual films set on actual Thanksgiving. Nonetheless, John Hughes’ foray into adult comedy filmmaking, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, fits the bill. Steve Martin and John Candy are the perfect “road trip gone wrong” pair. This thing’s a delight, start to finish, with some of the more biting scenes Hughes has ever written without sacrificing that big ol’ heart of his.
Toy Story 2
