The staff at Timeless DVD wishes you and your family a wonderful Thanksgiving! When you wake up from your tryptophan coma, here are our suggestions for five great Thanksgiving movies and TV shows to enjoy.
1. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)
Arguably the best Thanksgiving movie of all time. Steve Martin plays an upper-middle-class ad exec desperately trying to get from a business meeting in New York to his family in Chicago by Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, a pre-Thanksgiving snowstorm happens to be blanketing the Midwest, making travel a nightmare. This misfortune is compounded by Del Griffith (John Candy), a shower-curtain-ring salesman who decides to accompany Martin back to Chicago–a decision that leads to a series of misadventures involving the aforementioned planes, trains, and automobiles (plus a bus, pickup truck, and more). If you’re feeling stressed by your life and busy from your job, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles will help you focus on the things that are really important in life.
2. Pieces of April (2003)
Before she was Mrs. Cruise, Katie Holmes starred in this indie flick about a quirky twentysomething who decides to host her family’s Thanksgiving in her small, dingy New York apartment. While April runs into one problem after another (including a nonfunctioning oven), her suburban family drives to the city, all the while questioning why they are headed toward a dinner that will be awkward and uncomfortable. In addition to Holmes, Patricia Clarkson stars as April’s mother, who is dealing with a cancer diagnosis (Clarkson arguably steals the show). Oliver Platt, Sean Hayes, and Derek Luke round out the cast. Over the past few years, Pieces of April has landed on many folks’ “favorite” lists. Interesting note:Â The film was shot in 16 days on digital video for $300,000.
3. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
Definitely catch this one in addition to your yearly Charlie Brown Christmas viewing! Charlie Brown gets roped into preparing a Thanksgiving dinner for his friends (through no fault of his own, natch). When the task becomes completely overwhelming, Snoopy and Woodstock are enlisted to help–and succeed in serving a meal comprised of toast, popcorn, and jellybeans at an outdoor picnic table. When complaints fill the air, it’s up to Linus to provide a lesson about the true meaning of Thanksgiving. As a bonus, the DVD also includes the Peanuts’ educational The Mayflower Voyages special, which was part of a series that cast the gang as participants in American history. (For another cartoon about the Pilgrims, try 1968′s The Mouse on the Mayflower, used only.)
4. The Ice Storm (1997)
Ready for a Thanksgiving movie that lacks any cozy story of family togetherness? Then The Ice Storm is for you. Featuring an all-star cast, including Elijah Wood (before he was Frodo), Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and Katie Holmes (yep, she’s in this one too), this story of suburban Connecticut in 1973 is like a train wreck: you can’t take your eyes off it. The story centers around two upper-middle-class families during Thanksgiving weekend and their interactions with each other, from adolescent issues to adultery…and finally, to a tragedy. The Ice Storm may not be a “gather the family around the TV” movie for Thanksgiving night, but if you think your family is dysfunctional, this is the antidote.
5. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
You might not automatically pair Woody Allen with Thanksgiving, but Hannah and Her Sisters is indeed centered around the holiday–and is one of Woody’s most popular movies. Mia Farrow plays Hannah, who is the stable mother figure to her emotional sister Lee (Barbara Hershey) and neurotic sister Holly (Dianne Wiest). When Hannah’s husband falls in love with Lee, all heck breaks loose among the siblings. Naturally, Allen himself, as well as New York City, figure prominently in the film, which is assisted by beautiful direction and cinematography. Hannah is both funny and moving, and a perfect flick to share with family. And the Thanksgiving connection? All the drama takes place during three consecutive Thanksgivings.
Oddly enough, Sigourney Weaver and Katie Holmes each appear in two of these movies! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend, and we’ll see you back here next week.
