20 Best Thanksgiving Movies Of All Time
Moviefone counts down the twenty greatest Thanksgiving Day themed movies of all-time from ‘Free Birds’ to ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles.’
1995's 'Home for the Holidays'. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Everyone has a favorite Christmas movie, right? Whether it’s ‘A Christmas Story,’ ‘Elf’ or even ‘Die Hard,’ Christmas movies play ad nauseam on television throughout the month of December.
But where are all the Thanksgiving Day films?
In honor of the annual holiday, Moviefone is counting down the top twenty Thanksgiving Day themed movies of all time!
Now, to qualify for this list the film must either take place at Thanksgiving or involve the holiday in some way, and we are only counting theatrical releases, so sorry ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.’
Let’s begin!
20) 'The Blind Side ' (1997)
2009's 'The Blind Side'. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
The story of Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman (Sandra Bullock) and her family.
The Blind Side
19) 'Pilgrim' (2019)
In an attempt to remind her family of their privilege and help them bond, Ms. Anna Barker (Courtney Henggeler) invites Pilgrim reenactors to stay with them over Thanksgiving. When the “actors” refuse to break character, the Barker family learns that there is such a thing as too much gratitude.
Pilgrim
18) 'Black Friday' (2021)
A group of toy store employees must protect each other from a horde of parasite infected shoppers.
Black Friday
17) 'The Thanksgiving Movie' (2020)
Join Butterball the turkey and Missy the Dodo as they come to the rescue of Thanksgiving and embark on an unforgettable, clock-racing countdown to a holiday dinner. It's a Thanksgiving Movie for the ages.
The Thanksgiving Movie
16) 'Sweet November' (2001)
Nelson (Keanu Reeves)is a man devoted to his advertising career in San Francisco. One day, while taking a driving test at the DMV, he meets Sara (Charlize Theron). She is very different from the other women in his life. Nelson causes her to miss out on taking the test and later that day she tracks him down. One thing leads to another and Nelson ends up living with her through a November that will change his life forever.
Sweet November
15) 'Scent of a Woman' (1992)
1992's 'Scent of a Woman'. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Charlie Simms (Chris O'Donnell) is a student at a private preparatory school who comes from a poor family. To earn the money for his flight home to Gresham, Oregon for Christmas, Charlie takes a job over Thanksgiving looking after retired U.S. Army officer Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade (Al Pacino), a cantankerous middle-aged man who lives with his niece and her family.
Scent of a Woman
14) 'Son in Law' (1993)
Country girl Rebecca (Carla Gugino) has spent most of her life on a farm in South Dakota, and, when she goes away to college in Los Angeles, Rebecca immediately feels out of place in the daunting urban setting. She is befriended by a savvy party animal named Crawl (Pauley Shore), who convinces the ambivalent Rebecca to stay in the city. When Thanksgiving break rolls around, Rebecca, no longer an innocent farm girl, invites Crawl back to South Dakota, where he pretends to be her fiancé.
Son in Law
13) 'Prisoners' (2013)
Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) faces a parent's worst nightmare when his 6-year-old daughter, Anna, and her friend go missing. The only lead is an old motorhome that had been parked on their street. The head of the investigation, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal), arrests the driver, but a lack of evidence forces Loki to release his only suspect. Dover, knowing that his daughter's life is at stake, decides that he has no choice but to take matters into his own hands.
Prisoners
12) 'The Wiz' (1978)
Dorothy Gale (Diana Ross), a shy kindergarten teacher, is swept away to the magic land of Oz where she embarks on a quest to return home.
The Wiz
11) 'Pieces of April' (2003)
Quirky and rebellious April Burns (Katie Holmes) lives with her boyfriend (Derek Luke) in a low-rent New York City apartment miles away from her emotionally distant family. But when she discovers that her mother (Patricia Clarkson) has a fatal form of breast cancer, she invites the clan to her place for Thanksgiving. While her father (Oliver Platt) struggles to drive her family into the city, April -- an inexperienced cook -- runs into kitchen trouble and must ask a neighbor for help.
Pieces of April
10) 'The Oath' (2018)
2018's 'The Oath'. Photo: Roadside Attractions.
In a politically-divided United States, a man struggles to make it through the Thanksgiving holiday without destroying his family.
The Oath
9) 'The Ice Storm' (1997)
In the weekend after thanksgiving 1973 the Hood family is skidding out of control. Then an ice storm hits, the worst in a century.
The Ice Storm
8) 'Addams Family Values' (1993)
Siblings Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley Addams (Jimmy Workman) will stop at nothing to get rid of Pubert, the new baby boy adored by parents Gomez (Raul Julia) and Morticia (Anjelica Huston). Things go from bad to worse when the new "black widow" nanny, Debbie Jellinsky (Joan Cusack), launches her plan to add Fester to her collection of dead husbands.
Addams Family Values
7) 'Grumpy Old Men' (1993)
For decades, next-door neighbors and former friends John (Jack Lemmon) and Max (Walter Matthau) have feuded, trading insults and wicked pranks. When an attractive widow (Ann-Margret) moves in nearby, their bad blood erupts into a high-stakes rivalry full of naughty jokes and adolescent hijinks.
Grumpy Old Men
6) 'Tower Heist' (2011)
A luxury condo manager leads a staff of workers to seek payback on the Wall Street swindler who defrauded them. With only days until the billionaire gets away with the perfect crime, the unlikely crew of amateur thieves enlists the help of petty crook Slide to steal the $20 million they’re sure is hidden in the penthouse.
Tower Heist
5) 'Thanksgiving' (2023)
2023's 'Thanksgiving'. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts - the birthplace of the holiday. Picking off residents one by one, what begins as random revenge killings are soon revealed to be part of a larger, sinister holiday plan.
Thanksgiving
4) 'Free Birds' (2013)
Two turkeys from opposite sides of the tracks must put aside their differences and team up to travel back in time to change the course of history—and get turkey off the holiday menu for good.
Free Birds
3) 'Home for the Holidays' (1995)
After losing her job, making out with her soon-to-be former boss, and finding out that her daughter plans to spend Thanksgiving with her boyfriend, Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) faces spending the holiday with her unhinged family.
Home for the Holidays
2) 'The Last Waltz' (1978)
Martin Scorsese's documentary intertwines footage from "The Band's" incredible farewell tour with probing backstage interviews and featured performances by Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, and other rock legends.
The Last Waltz
1) 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' (1987)
1987's 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
An irritable marketing executive, Neal Page (Steve Martin), is heading home to Chicago for Thanksgiving when a number of delays force him to travel with a well meaning but overbearing shower curtain ring salesman, Del Griffith (John Candy).
Planes, Trains and Automobiles
