25 films to watch with the family on Thanksgiving

Without drawing too much attention to the holiday itself, Thanksgiving bookends the storyline of this renowned Woody Allen comedy-drama that stars himself, Mia Farrow, Michael Caine  (Academy Award winner for Best Supporting Actor), Dianne Wiest (Oscar winner for Best Supporting Actress), and Barbara Hershey. The holiday adds to the unique story arc over two years and shows the characters grow — or regress — in their relationships with various loved ones. Allen won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Neal (Steve Martin) and Del (John Candy) have quite the travel adventure, as the former tries to get home from New York to Chicago for Thanksgiving. While the wackiness between these two comedic geniuses during the journey is priceless, the heartwarming ending makes this a special holiday film. Plus, that turkey loaded with stuffing looks delicious. While Planes, Trains & Automobiles is associated with Thanksgiving, it's a movie for the entire winter holiday season.

The travel-for-the-holiday theme is quite popular when it comes to movie storylines. In the case of Dutch, we follow a spoiled, conceited rich kid (Ethan Embry) and his mom's pedestrian, juvenile boyfriend, Dutch (Ed O'Neill). A pair of relative opposites who have little in common are forced to get along while encountering plenty of mishaps and adventures along their journey. It's still wholesome enough.

Scent of a Woman  won Al Pacino a Best Actor Academy Award. This Martin Brest-directed drama takes place over the Thanksgiving holiday, but the relationship between Frank (Pacino) and Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) is why we watch the film — and what keeps us coming back throughout the year. It's the kind of movie that Mom and Dad might plop down to watch after the Turkey Day's activities have finished, leftovers are put away, and dishes are done.

Far from a Turkey Day film, its representation of the holiday is one of the most memorable in history. Even if the movie is rather forgettable. Wednesday Addams (Christina Ricci) and her portrayal in the Thanksgiving play at her summer camp is worth the hefty price of a movie ticket alone. Taking exception to the story of the pilgrims and the Native Americans, Wednesday stages her version that includes kidnapping and arson. Just your average way to celebrate the Thanksgiving season. 

Nothing better than two senior citizens — and a pair of legendary actors at that (Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau) — fighting over the new woman on the block (Ann-Margret). How's that to draw in a move-going crowd? Throw in Thanksgiving (and one of the funnier scenes associated with the holiday), and there's not much more to ask from a comedy to make things a little lighter. That's especially true if any annoying family members have ruined the day. 

For those younger movie fans not in touch with 1990s pop culture, Pauly Shore was actually popular. It's easy to think anything with the goofball former MTV personality would be a waste of time. However, Son in Law is endearing, and Shore's Crawl is a likable character who tags along with college friend Becca (Carla Gugino) to her small town for Thanksgiving. It's a film that keeps us glued as a guilty pleasure when it pops up on TV (for those still with basic cable).

Life can't seem to get any worse for single mom Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter). She just lost her job, her daughter would rather be with her boyfriend than family on Thanksgiving, and she's off to spend the holiday with her parents. But, like any legit family comedy, after plenty of arguing, angst and misadventure, things work out for the better. This Jodie Foster-directed film is entertaining enough to hold our attention before the main course.

Not the most pleasant of Thanksgiving-affiliated movies. Emilio Estevez stars as Vietnam War veteran Jeremy Collier, struggling to re-adapt to society upon returning home. His demanding and compassionless father (also his real-life father, Martin Sheen) doesn't make the transition any easier. The uncomfortable yet dramatic highlight of this mediocre film is the Thanksgiving Day scene, where Jeremy finally confronts his father in quite an extreme manner.

Dark comedies don't get much darker than this. With Thanksgiving as the backdrop, the storyline tackles mental illness, family dysfunction, and other uncomfortable topics only suitable for mature audiences. Amid a resume of strong independent and mainstream projects, this is Parker Posey's best role — arguably her most disturbing. It's not Thanksgiving family viewing, but for those needing something with an edge after dealing with family all day, check out The House of Yes.

This Ang Lee-directed drama tells the story of two neighboring families in 1973 Connecticut: the Hoods (Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Christina Ricci, and Tobey Maguire) and the Carvers (Jamey Sheridan, Sigourney Weaver, Elijah Wood, and Adam Hann-Byrd). While on the surface, things seem to be fine, underneath are moments of infidelity, alcohol dependence, and taking a dip into the sexual experimentation pool. It all seems to come to a head during Thanksgiving weekend, plagued by a harsh storm.

Regarding cinematic Turkey Day creativity, What's Cooking? is an underrated gem. It can be argued that this is the quintessential Thanksgiving film, if only because it features different cultural takes on the traditional holiday meal. Starring Mercedes Ruehl, Alfre Woodard, Joan Chen, and Kyra Sedgwick, the film takes the viewer into the Thanksgiving lives of four families, spanning Latino, African-American, Jewish, and Vietnamese descent. Looking for a refreshingly different take on Thanksgiving? Look no further than What's Cooking?

Katie Holmes' career should be known for more than Dawson's Creek and Tom Cruise. Pieces of April is a criminally underrated film and perhaps Holmes' best screen work. She plays April, the oldest daughter of the dysfunctional family she has invited over for Thanksgiving dinner at her run-down New York apartment. Despite the mishaps that come with preparing a full-on Thanksgiving meal for the family, the movie finds its charm thanks to the chemistry between Holmes and the cast. Add it to your Thanksgiving-viewing catalog.

Another in the long line of Christopher Guest's mockumentary gems, though somewhat underappreciated when mixed in with the legacy of others like Waiting for Guffman or Best in Show. The film within the film was initially titled Home for Purim before the studio felt it wasn't relatable to mainstream audiences. So it was changed to Home for Thanksgiving. The holiday theme is only a latter-stage part of the story. Guests' hilarious and dysfunctional characters, most in search of Oscar-worthy attention, once again rule the day.

Yes, there are Thanksgiving-related horror films. Perhaps the most notable is ThanksKilling. For those who like a side of senseless killing by the urban legend "Turkie," with plenty of swearing and token gratuitous nudity with your main course, you've found the right picture. Considered a black comedy-horror film, ThanksKilling is truly campy and wacky enough to entertain. It's a fun way for the adults and maybe late-teens to end a hectic day. 

It's important to note that if real turkeys had their way and could rewrite history, pizza would be the preferred culinary choice for Thanksgiving. That's pretty much the gist of the animated Free Birds . Owen Wilson  voices the main character, Reggie, a turkey who earns a presidential pardon. The movie is fun, light-hearted, and good for the kids to watch while the adults have time to digest their dinner, watch football, and harp on the world's problems.

Chronicling college students returning home for Thanksgiving break is fertile ground for quality entertainment. In this case, the lives of five individuals are followed, highlighting topics like familial relationships, mixing new and old friendships, romance, breakups, and those awkward reunions we hope to avoid. Interestingly, Hollidaysburg was a film that came out of the Starz reality show The Chair, where novice directors are given an opportunity to create a movie. Directed by Anna Martemucci, it's a pretty impressive first effort.

Krisha (Krisha Fairchild, the real-life aunt of the movie's writer, director, and co-star Trey Edward Shults) is a sixty-something who has struggled with substance abuse and is estranged from her family. But, after claiming she is sober, she attends a family Thanksgiving, hoping for a second chance, especially with her adult son (Shults), who her sister mostly raised. The day's happenings are filled with emotions — love, hate, pain, anger, and even horror. This acclaimed picture is a must-watch for those who like a healthy dose of family drama with their turkey.

Also known as Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow. Now, countless Thanksgiving-themed movies are produced and aired on the Lifetime network. However, this doesn't really fit the sappy Lifetime mantra, and it's more creative than anything on the network. A brother and sister find themselves amid an adventure while at the farm of an eccentric great-aunt for Thanksgiving, looking for the "Howling Hoodoo."  There are plenty of Muppet-inspired, Henson-vibed creatures and characters to complement the human stars.

A smart, witty comedy-drama written and directed by the film's star Jenna Laurenzo. Her character, Lauren, a closet lesbian, is spending Thanksgiving with her parents at their suburban New Jersey home. She invites her girlfriend, Haley, but when her male roommate shows up, her parents think they are dating. Lauren opts to keep up the ruse. The hilarity and drama ensue in a more heartfelt and honest way than seen through similar storylines. Bobby Farrelly  is an executive producer on the film, which co-starred Hollywood veterans Bruce Dern, Cloris Leachman, Kevin Pollock, and Steve Guttenberg.

This dark comedy tends to revolve more around Black Friday than Thanksgiving. Then again, the days are essentially the same in the eyes of current commerce. Directed by underrated funnyman Ike Barinholtz, who stars alongside Tiffany Haddish, the film received lukewarm praise. However, it isn't a waste of time. It's funny enough to relate to those Americans unwilling to pledge an oath to the government. The Thanksgiving dinner scene is worth the effort to watch. Former Saturday Night Live vet Nora Dunn and Carrie Brownstein (Sleater-Kinney; Portlandia) deliver strong supporting performances.

Returning home from college for Thanksgiving can often be a tense situation. Dealing with family, confined after a taste of independence, and in the case of Lucy Jacobs (Olivia Holt), the fear that her high school sweetheart will dump her. Which, apparently in today's young people's vernacular, is referred to as a "turkey drop." Even on Freeform, there's room for an entertaining holiday romp.

What else besides Thanksgiving goes well with turkey? How about football? Especially the pick-up football game variety. With The Turkey Bowl, the comedy that received a limited theater release but can be found on various streaming platforms, there's a throwback to The Best of Times.  That underrated Robin Williams-Kurt Russell vehicle from the 1980s was about replaying a high school football game years later. Though this modern version of a similar story, but with the whole "Turkey Bowl" as the backdrop, tries hard for laughs, there are some endearing moments that work.

Plans for a quiet Thanksgiving dinner between friends Molly (Malin Åkerman) and Abby (Kat Dennings) go awry when various friends, family, and acquaintances eventually show up for one reason or another. There are plenty of amusing and endearing moments in this comedy-drama. Critics hated the picture, but other strong names (Jane Seymour, Aisha Tyler, Chelsea Peretti, Christine Taylor, and Wanda Sykes) make this holiday film more tolerable.

Noted funny girls Beanie Feldstein and Amy Schumer stand out in this dramatic film adaptation of the play of the same name by Stephen Karam, who also wrote and directed the movie. A family comes together for Thanksgiving at the run-down New York City apartment of Brigid (Feldstein), whose boyfriend is depressed and still longing for the approval of her usually disapproving parents. Schumer provides the most comic relief to a film heavy on dialogue and emotion. At the same time, veteran actor Richard Jenkins delivers a subtly gripping performance as the family's patriarch.