The best Thanksgiving movies range from a frantic trip home to uneasy family gatherings and outright horror. The key difference is how much the holiday matters: some films are built around Thanksgiving, while others earn a place here through one unforgettable holiday scene. This list labels that distinction so you can choose a movie that fits the mood—and the audience.
Thanksgiving movies built around the holiday
These films make Thanksgiving part of the plot or the structure, rather than simply using the holiday as a backdrop.
1. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
Mood: frantic, big-hearted road comedy. Holiday connection: Neal Page is trying to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving when travel trouble leaves him sharing the journey with Del Griffith. Paramount Pictures’ official film page describes Neal as “an uptight advertising executive trying to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving.”
Is Planes, Trains and Automobiles a Thanksgiving movie? Unquestionably: getting home for the holiday is the premise, and the escalating travel mishaps give the story its shape. Paramount lists it as a comedy rated R with a 93-minute runtime, so it is not automatically suitable for younger viewers.
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2. Home for the Holidays (1995)
Mood: affectionate, prickly family dramedy. Holiday connection: Claudia Larson returns to her childhood home for Thanksgiving and faces the complications of a chaotic family gathering.
This is a strong pick for viewers who want the awkward rituals and old tensions of a holiday reunion rather than a plot about travel. Paramount+ describes it as a comedy rated PG-13; its film page notes that availability is subject to change, so check the service directly rather than assuming it is currently streaming.
3. Pieces of April (2003)
Mood: intimate, tender dramedy. Holiday connection: April, who lives far from her emotionally distant family, tries to bring them together for Thanksgiving.
The small scale makes this a more personal alternative to a large ensemble comedy: the holiday meal is an effort at connection, not a guaranteed happy ending. Rotten Tomatoes includes the film in its Thanksgiving roundup.
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4. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Mood: literate ensemble drama with comic turns. Holiday connection: three successive Thanksgiving dinners frame the shifting relationships of a family and the people around it.
Thanksgiving is structural here: returning to the family’s dinners lets the film show time passing and relationships changing. Rotten Tomatoes includes it among its Thanksgiving movie selections.
5. The Humans (2021)
Mood: contemporary, tense family drama. Holiday connection: three generations gather in Manhattan for Thanksgiving, with the evening’s unease coming into focus as the family spends time together.
Choose this for a modern, uncomfortable gathering rather than a comforting holiday comedy. It treats the dinner as a pressure point for family dynamics. Rotten Tomatoes lists it in its Thanksgiving guide.
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6. Dutch (1991)
Mood: bickering, high-spirited road comedy. Holiday connection: the journey is about bringing a school-age boy home for Thanksgiving.
Like Planes, Trains and Automobiles, it turns holiday travel into the engine of the story, but its central relationship is the unlikely pairing on the road. Rotten Tomatoes includes it in its Thanksgiving roundup.
7. The Myth of Fingerprints (1997)
Mood: restrained, uneasy family drama. Holiday connection: siblings spend an uncomfortable Thanksgiving weekend at their parents’ home in Maine.
This is the all-feature-film option for viewers seeking a less familiar, more subdued holiday story. The family reunion is central, but the atmosphere is far from festive. Rotten Tomatoes’ Thanksgiving guide describes its Thanksgiving-weekend setup.
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Thanksgiving films with a standout holiday scene
These movies are not primarily about the holiday, but a Thanksgiving sequence makes them memorable choices for a themed watchlist.
8. Addams Family Values (1993)
Mood: macabre comedy. Holiday connection: its memorable Thanksgiving-related sequence puts a darkly comic spin on the school pageant and the holiday’s familiar imagery.
This is a scene-based pick, not a film whose whole story takes place during Thanksgiving. Its comic sensibility is best suited to viewers who enjoy spooky, irreverent humor. Rotten Tomatoes includes it in its holiday film roundup.
9. The Ice Storm (1997)
Mood: bleak, unsettling family drama. Holiday connection: Thanksgiving provides the setting for a portrait of strained family relationships.
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Despite the holiday setting, this is a deliberately dark choice rather than a warm seasonal film. Rotten Tomatoes lists it in its Thanksgiving guide.
For a Thanksgiving watch with a different format
10. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
Mood: gentle animated holiday special. Holiday connection: Thanksgiving is the occasion for the gathering at the center of the story.
This is a television special, not a conventional feature film, so it belongs on the list as a family-oriented format alternative rather than a feature-length movie. Rotten Tomatoes includes it in its Thanksgiving selections.
How to choose a Thanksgiving movie
- For travel comedy: start with Planes, Trains and Automobiles or Dutch.
- For a family reunion: try Home for the Holidays, Pieces of April, or Hannah and Her Sisters.
- For tension instead of cheer: choose The Humans, The Myth of Fingerprints, or The Ice Storm.
- For a scene-based, darker comedy: pick Addams Family Values.
- For an animated holiday special: watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving relevance alone does not indicate age suitability: Paramount rates Planes, Trains and Automobiles R and Home for the Holidays PG-13. Check the rating and content details for the title you plan to watch, especially when choosing for children.
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