The best Thanksgiving movies are A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, Free Birds, Addams Family Values, Dutch, Home for the Holidays, Pieces of April, Hannah and Her Sisters, The Ice Storm, Scent of a Woman, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Friendsgiving, and Tower Heist. Each one is set around the holiday, from family comedies to dramas.
Thanksgiving doesn't get as many movies as Christmas, but the ones it has are good. Every pick here is set around the holiday. They're grouped by who's watching, so you can find something the whole room agrees on.
Thanksgiving movies for the whole family
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends to Charlie Brown's house for Thanksgiving, and Charlie Brown has no idea how to cook. Snoopy and Linus help him serve toast, popcorn, and jelly beans. It's a short TV special, so it fits before dinner.
Free Birds (2013)
Two turkeys travel back in time to 1621 to take turkey off the menu at the first Thanksgiving. Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson voice them, with Amy Poehler. It's silly, and younger kids will love it.
Addams Family Values (1993)
Wednesday and Pugsley get sent to a cheerful summer camp, and Wednesday takes over the camp's Thanksgiving play. Christina Ricci's speech as Wednesday is the scene everyone remembers. It's PG-13, so it's better for older kids.
Dutch (1991)
A working-class guy, played by Ed O'Neill, drives his girlfriend's snobby son home for Thanksgiving, and nothing goes to plan. John Hughes wrote it, and Ethan Embry plays the son. It's a road trip comedy with a soft heart, rated PG-13.
Thanksgiving movies for grown-ups
Home for the Holidays (1995)
Claudia loses her job, then flies home for Thanksgiving with a family that's loud, nosy, and hers. Jodie Foster directed it, and Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. star. It gets going home for the holidays exactly right.
Pieces of April (2003)
April, played by Katie Holmes, invites her estranged family to her New York apartment for Thanksgiving. Then her oven breaks, and she has to ask her neighbors for help. Patricia Clarkson plays her mother. It's short, funny, and it'll get to you.
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Three Thanksgiving dinners mark two years in the lives of Hannah and her sisters. Woody Allen wrote and directed it, with Mia Farrow, Barbara Hershey, and Dianne Wiest. It won Oscars for its screenplay and for Wiest and Michael Caine.
The Ice Storm (1997)
Over Thanksgiving weekend in 1973, two suburban families come apart while a huge ice storm moves in. Ang Lee directed it, with Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, and Joan Allen. It's quiet and sad, and it's the one to watch after the house empties out.
Scent of a Woman (1992)
A prep school student takes a job over Thanksgiving weekend looking after a blind retired Army officer, played by Al Pacino. The officer has plans for the weekend. Pacino won the Oscar for Best Actor.
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Thanksgiving movies for Friendsgiving
A businessman, played by Steve Martin, is trying to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. Every flight, train, and rental car goes wrong, and he's stuck with a chatty salesman, played by John Candy. John Hughes wrote and directed it, and it's rated R for language. It's the Thanksgiving comedy.
Friendsgiving (2020)
Two best friends plan a quiet Thanksgiving, and it turns into a crowded, chaotic party. Malin Akerman and Kat Dennings star, with Aisha Tyler, Chelsea Peretti, and Jane Seymour. It's rated R for crude sexual content, language, and drug use, and it's made for a room full of friends.
Tower Heist (2011)
The staff of a luxury New York building plan to rob the rich tenant who stole their pensions, and they pull it off during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy lead the crew. It's an easy crowd-pleaser.
Where to start
With young kids, start with A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving or Free Birds. For a room full of grown-ups, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is the easy pick. For a quieter night, try Pieces of April or Home for the Holidays.
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Frequently asked questions
Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Home for the Holidays, Pieces of April, and Hannah and Her Sisters are the classics. For kids, try A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving or Free Birds. For Friendsgiving, try Friendsgiving or Tower Heist.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Free Birds are the best picks for young kids. Addams Family Values and Dutch are rated PG-13, so they're better for older kids.
Friendsgiving is about exactly that. Planes, Trains and Automobiles and Tower Heist are easy crowd-pleasers too.
Yes. Steve Martin's character spends the whole movie trying to get home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving, with John Candy along for the ride.
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