Top 21 Thanksgiving Movies for Streaming This Week: Vanity Fair Recommendations

Article by Savannah Walsh

While it's true Thanksgiving is often overshadowed in film by the spooky charm of Halloween and the festive joy of Christmas, it is not wholly absent from the screen. Proof of this comes via the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade feature in Miracle on 34th Street or the historically accurate, if grim, play by Wednesday Adams in Addams Family Values. Television, however, seems to depict Thanksgiving with a little more generosity, presenting classic episodes in shows like Gossip Girl, Friends, Master of None and A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.

We have gathered a list of 21 films (and films with a hint of Thanksgiving) that aptly capture the essence of the holiday, which often includes turkey-trotting, playing catch, indulging in carb-heavy dishes, familial disagreements, and the inevitable overheating in an attractive cashmere sweater. It is hoped that you might find some common ground with one of the titles on this list after your Thanksgiving meal.

Considered a Thanksgiving classic, the well-loved story sees Steve Martin's character, Neal, an uptight marketing executive, attempting to go from New York to Chicago for a family Thanksgiving meal. However, his journey is continuously disrupted by John Candy's lively character, Del, who eagerly tries to befriend Neal during their unexpected journey.

In the less conventional Thanksgiving film, The House of Yes, Parker Posey plays a Jackie O-fanatic. Her slender grip on reality starts to slip when her twin brother and his fiancée come home for the holiday season. Posey secured a Sundance special jury prize for the film, confirming her position in the independent film industry.

In this 2001 romantic film, Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves depict strangers who decide to spend November together. However, what starts as a promising relationship becomes increasingly complicated as Thanksgiving arrives.

Don’t be thrown by the word 'Christmas' in the title. The 2016 ensemble comedy, Almost Christmas, starring Danny Glover, Kimberly Elise, Mo’Nique, and Gabrielle Union, exudes undeniable Thanksgiving energy. The film follows a quirky family as the head of the family, Walter Meyers (Glover), tries to navigate his first holiday season after the death of his wife. The film may not explicitly be about Thanksgiving, but many scenes, including a familial gathering around a dinner table, are recognizably Thanksgiving-themed.

In Jodie Foster's comedy, Home for the Holidays, Holly Hunter plays a character who returns home for Thanksgiving after losing her job. Simultaneously, her daughter announces plans to spend the holiday with her boyfriend. The film features noteworthy performances from Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning as her eccentric parents, Robert Downey Jr. as her misanthrope brother, and Dylan McDermott as an intriguing dinner guest.

In Terrence Malick's Jamestown settlement portrayal, he weaves a potent reminder of America's dark foundations. The film sees Colin Farrell playing British Captain John Smith and Q’orianka Kilcher bringing Pocahontas to life in a love story doomed from the beginning.

What starts as a birthday visit for her father quickly turns into a long stay through the festive season when Renée Zellweger's character, Ellen, finds out her mother (Meryl Streep) has cancer. An emotional confrontation takes place during the Thanksgiving scene, potentially earning Streep her 11th Oscar nomination.

Wes Anderson's 2009 stop-motion film, Fantastic Mr. Fox, features the voices of George Clooney and Meryl Streep and is surprisingly considered a Thanksgiving staple to watch. The storyline is not directly about Thanksgiving or humans, but rather about animals trying to escape farmers' oppression, an act relatable to Thanksgiving turkeys. Anderson uses a warm, rustic color palette filled with burnt orange, and a scene where various animals share a large feast after successfully stealing food, to inject Thanksgiving spirit. 

April, played by Katie Holmes, in the film is constantly in a state where the success of her Thanksgiving hinges on her ability to cook a turkey in her crowded apartment on the Lower East Side. April's suburban Pennsylvania family, played by Patricia Clarkson, Oliver Platt, Alison Pill, and John Gallagher Jr, further elevates the stakes of the day. 

During Thanksgiving, watching Snoopy prepare a whimsical meal for his Peanuts gang, consisting of jelly beans, popcorn, and plenty of buttered toast, stirs a sense of nostalgia. The timeless score by Vince Guraldi also serves as a fine backdrop for personal celebrations. 

A flashback set during Thanksgiving offers vital insight into the complex dynamics among a group of old college friends who have recently reunited, played by Glenn Close, Kevin Kline, Jeff Goldblum, Mary Kay Place, and William Hurt, in Lawrence Kasdan's movie. The movie received three Oscar nominations including best picture, original screenplay, and a supporting actress for Close. 

In another instance not centered around Thanksgiving, protagonist Nola Darling, played by Tracy Camilla Johns, invites her three potential suitors for an uneasy dinner during the holiday. Standing at the head of the table, she makes her decision between the three. This was the first introduction to Spike Lee as both an actor and director, whose energy radiates till now. For more, check out the 2017 Netflix original series featuring Lee and Dewonda Wise as Nola Darling. 

Rian Johnson's thriller displays all aspects of a Thanksgiving movie, excluding any mention of the holiday. It includes family arguments, autumn weather, and Chris Evans wearing a cable-knit sweater. Another movie worth watching that isn't about Thanksgiving is Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery which was released last November.

In the same year that Merriam-Webster included "Friendsgiving" to its dictionary, a movie with the same name was also released. It follows the common tradition where friends gather for a meal which descends into disarray.

While not a traditional Thanksgiving movie, the 1997 ensemble dramedy, features captivating views of food throughout the movie. After their matriarch passes away, a disunited family comes together for weekly Sunday dinners. With Vivica A. Fox, Vanessa Williams, and Nia Long in the cast, the movie Soul Food strongly showcases the unifying power of food shared over a meal.

The 1976 best picture Oscar winner, Rocky, starring Syllvester Stallone tells the story of a down-on-his-luck boxer whose luck begins to improve when he meets his future wife Adrian, played by Talia Shire. Rocky pointedly tells Adrian, "To you, it’s Thanksgiving. To me, it’s Thursday," after he rescues her from a disastrous family gathering. Their quaint Thanksgiving encounter perseveres over time, as fans of the series that often released movies around Thanksgiving can attest.

Prior to Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach collaborating on the screenplay for Barbie, they created Mistress America. The 2015 Sundance selection centers on the unexpected bond between Lola Kirke’s Tracy, a freshman college student alone in New York, and Brooke, portrayed by Gerwig, a Times Square resident who is about to become her stepsister. The duo resolves discrepancies during Thanksgiving at the Veselka in NYC, a Ukrainian eatery where pierogis replace the conventional turkey. 

Greta Gerwig must really love Thanksgiving. The auteur’s Oscar-nominated take on the Louisa May Alcott classic is brimming with cozy, Thanksgiving-esque vibes. Set largely in the weeks before Christmas, the March sisters (Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Eliza Scanlen, and Florence Pugh) and matriarch (Laura Dern) battle wits, trot through the snow, and stage living room plays in a film that feels reminiscent of many a-family gatherings. 

“First, let’s give thanks to our families not being here. It’s always easier without the family,” Adam Sandler’s George Simmons, a stand-up comedian who has been newly diagnosed with cancer, says to a group of new friends. In Judd Apatow’s 2009 dramedy, George attempts to revamp his fledgling career in the eleventh hour with the help of aspiring comic Ira Wright (Seth Rogen). At one point, he  joins the younger talent’s friendsgiving festivities, where the table is surrounded by stars including Jonah Hill, Jason Schwartzmann, Aubrey Plaza, and Bo Burnham. 

In one of the newer entries to the turkey day canon, Stephen Karam adapts his 2015 Pulitzer finalist play of the same name, exploring the long-held resentments and deeply-rooted admiration that live in an East Coast family. Jayne Houdyshell reprises her Tony-winning role as Deirdre alongside a stacked ensemble, including Richard Jenkins, June Squibb, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun, and Amy Schumer, all gathered in a drab Chinatown apartment for Thanksgiving.

Another unconventional choice, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man is arguably the only superhero movie that doubles as a Thanksgiving movie. While the central action follows Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker, there’s a pivotal scene set at Thanksgiving dinner that directly follows a heated battle between Spider-Man and the Green Goblin (a.k.a Norman Osborne, played by Willem Dafoe.) Parker and Osborne have Thanksgiving dinner together with MJ (Kirsten Dunst), Harry Osborne (James Franco), and Aunt May (Rosemary Harris). During the meal, Osborne comes to the stunning realization that Peter Parker is, in fact, Spider-Man. Others have already made the case that the first Spider-Man film deserves to be included in the Thanksgiving canon. The way Dafoe carves the turkey is also both sinister and iconic, as is Maguire apologizing for his tardiness because he “had to beat an old lady with a stick to get these cranberries.”

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