Movies you can watch on Thanksgiving instead of football

Yes, this is one of the greatest Christmas films ever made, but it begins with the famed Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, which, as most everybody should know, concludes with Santa making an appearance to officially usher in the Christmas season. So what better way to get your festive season rolling than to kick things off with this "holiday" classic on Thanksgiving.

Gathering the family together to watch a movie is a time-honored holiday tradition for many. If young, middle school-aged children are joining the fun, the feels don't get much warmer than this Gene Wilder classic. Watching young Charlie pursue the golden ticket and then try to outlast the other kids to win the good graces of Mr. Wonka is truly special. Thanksgiving is about feeling grateful for what one has, even if it's not much. There aren't many better tales of that than this screen gem.

One thing about any holiday is that cable television loves its marathon programming. There's roughly nine-and-a-half to 10 hours of NFL action on Thanksgiving, but for those non-fans of the pigskin looking to fill that time, dial up one of the greatest films of all time, if it's not already on some channel to begin with that day. This Francis Ford Coppola classic is far from light-hearted or festive, but it kills time for those experiencing a laid-back holiday. 

When the original is finished, go right into what's arguably the greatest sequel of all time. Or, watch "The Godfather" before dinner, then once the belly is full from that last piece of pumpkin pie, get ready to delve in to "Part II." That's when we see how Vito Corleone rose to power and Fredo met his maker. Thanksgiving tends to be about family. And no one should ever go against the family.

"Rocky" is obviously not a football movie, but it does boast one of the most dysfunctional Thanksgiving scenes around. Paulie brings Rocky to his home to take out his sister Adrian on Thanksgiving. Adrian is mortified, and the turkey is in the oven. That is until Paulie throws the bird out the back door and encourages his sister to go out with the Italian Stallion. The holiday might have been ruined, but one of the great film love stories was officially born. 

This '80s friend flick doesn't actually have a Thanksgiving scene — at least not one that made it on screen. On the cutting room floor is a flashback scene featuring Kevin Costner as "Alex," whose funeral the movie revolves around, about to carve a Thanksgiving turkey with his friends back in their college days. That scene, and all the others with Costner's face in it,  never made the final cut. So in honor of what could have been, put on "The Big Chill" while carving the bird.

The Thanksgiving holiday is actual the bookends to this Woody Allen favorite starring himself, Mia Farrow, Michael Caine and Barbara Hershey — to name a few. The holiday adds to the unique story arc over a two-year span and offers an opportunity to see the characters grow or regress in their relationships with loved ones. 

One of the best travel movies of all time, regardless of the time of year. Neal (Steve Martin) and Del (John Candy) have quite the adventure, as the former tries to get home from New York to Chicago for Turkey Day. While the comedy that ensues during the journey is priceless, the heartwarming ending makes this truly a special holiday film.

Another travel-home-for-Thanksgiving flick, this time involving a spoiled, conceited rich kid (Ethan Embry) and his mom's everyman boyfriend, Dutch (Ed O'Neill). The storyline is hardly original: a pair of relative opposites with not much in common forced to get along while encountering plenty of mishaps and adventures along the way. It's still wholesome enough, even when a grown man shoots a boy with a BB gun.

This classic that won Al Pacino a Best Actor Oscar takes place over the Thanksgiving holiday, but the relationship between Frank (Pacino) and Charlie (Chris O'Donnell) is what keeps us coming back for more — any time of year. It's the kind of movie that mom and dad might plop down to watch after the day's activities are done.

This film makes our list simply for Wednesday's (Christina Ricci) portrayal of Pocahontas in the Thanksgiving play at her summer camp. Taking exception to the story of the pilgrims and the Indians, Wednesday stages her own version that includes kidnapping and arson. Just your average way to celebrate the Thanksgiving season. 

Nothing better than two senior citizens (Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau) fighting over the new woman on the block (Ann-Margret). Add in Thanksgiving (and one of the funnier scenes associated with the holiday), and who can ask for more from a comedy to make things a little lighter — especially if any annoying family members are ruining the day. 

One would think anything with goofball former MTV personality Pauly Shore would be a waste of time. However, this movie is actually 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 one of those movies when on, it tends to keep us glued and could rank as a guilty pleasure.

There's nothing better than a football underdog on the menu. In this case, that might be the Buffalo Bills at Dallas. That's also what we have in the Giants, a cast-off Pee-Wee football team that tries to take down the mighty Cowboys, something the visiting Bills might not be able to do. We think  "Little Giants" will be a more entertaining option than Bills-Cowboys from Jerry World.

Life can't seem to get any worse for Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter). She just lost her job, her daughter would rather be with her boyfriend than her on Thanksgiving and she's off to spend the holiday with her parents. Of course, in any true family comedy, things end up working out for the better. That's the case in this Jodie Foster-directed film, which is entertaining enough to hold our attention before the main course.

Dark comedies don't get much darker than this. With the Thanksgiving holiday as the backdrop, the storyline tackles issues of mental illness, family dysfunction and other uncomfortable topics. It's arguably Parker Posey's best role — and certainly her most disturbing. It's not Thanksgiving family viewing, but if we're searching for something with an edge after dealing with family all day, give it a look.

This is a severely underrated film and perhaps Katie Holmes' best screen work as 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 Thanksgiving meal and having family over, the movie ultimately finds its charm thanks to some quality characters. Definitely a film to add to one's Thanksgiving-viewing catalog.

Not the best football movie ever made, but certainly a better option than Bears-Lions to kick off your Thanksgiving. While the bird is cooking in the oven, those early arriving guests can enjoy this Keanu Reeves' vehicle about a group of scab players getting a second chance to play pro ball. If we're grateful for one thing on Thanksgiving, it's that this guilty pleasure football film will finds its way on basic cable.

This might be the quintessential Thanksgiving movie, only for the fact it features different cultural takes on the traditional holiday meal. Starring Mercedes Ruehl, Joan Chen and Kyra Sedgwick, the film takes the viewer into the Thanksgiving Day lives of four families of Latino, African-American, Jewish and Vietnamese decent. An underrated and honest film.

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan team up for a rom-com that is not about Thanksgiving. However, it has a fall setting — at least early on. The New York, West Side backdrop with the leaves changing and scenes of holiday shopping just seems like a nice way to help unwind after that big dinner and to decompress from the day's festivities.

Another in the long line of Christopher Guest's mockumentary gems. The film within the film was originally titled "Home for Purim" before the studio felt it wasn't relatable to mainstream audiences. So it was changed to "Home for Thanksgiving." Though, the holiday theme is only a part of the story, guests' hilarious and dysfunctional characters once again rule the day.

There's a good bet "The Blind Side" will pop up on some channel at some point on Thanksgiving Day. It's football, food and Sandra Bullock with a Southern accent. It's also a movie the whole family can enjoy when Thanksgiving day hits the final stretch, the leftovers are packed away and there's a little quality time left. 

Want a side of senseless killing by an urban-legend "Turkie," plenty of swearing and some gratuitous nudity with your main course, then this is the film. A rather forgettable black comedy-horror film, yes. But it's so campy and out of control, that the wackiness is pretty entertaining, and it's a fun way to end the evening. Just keep the kids out of the room. 

If actual turkeys had their way and could rewrite history, then pizza would be the preferred culinary choice for Thanksgiving. That's kind of the gist of "Free Birds," with Owen Wilson voicing the main character, Reggie, a turkey who earns a presidential pardon. It's fun, light-hearted and good for the kids to watch while the adults have some time to digest their dinner.

This recent film is tied in with Black Friday more than Thanksgiving, though in the eyes of commerce, the days have become one in the same. Directed by funny man Ike Barinholtz, who stars alongside Tiffany Haddish, the film earned some lukewarm praise. However, it isn't a bad black comedy about Americans pledging an oath to the government. The actual scene at Thanksgiving dinner is worth the time.