FAQs About Thanksgiving on Film

Typically, the season most associated with family films is Christmas. There are countless movies, and people cherish their Christmas movie-watching tradition. However, Thanksgiving has quite a few holiday-specific classics as well. Some of these films are about the holiday. Others are just intimately tied with it.

Q: What is a good Thanksgiving comedy?

A: Probably the most famous comedy associated with Thanksgiving is Planes Trains and Automobiles. It stars Steve Martin as a businessman with rotten luck. He does his best to get home and spend time with his family, but fate seems to enjoy making it difficult. Against his better judgement, this man pairs up with an obnoxious shower-ring salesman played by John Candy as they struggle to get home.

Q: What is a classic Thanksgiving drama?

A: This honor would without a doubt go to Woody Allen's 1986 classic, Hannah and Her Sisters. This film depicts a wealthy family gathered in their huge Central Park West apartment to celebrate Thanksgiving, where every bit of dysfunctionality and bickering occurs. The star-studded cast is comprised of Mia Farrow, Michael Caine, Dianne Weist, Carrie Fisher and Woody Allen.

Q: What is a great Thanksgiving film that combines both comedy and drama?

A: Jodie Foster's directorial classic, Home For The Holidays, is the perfect candidate. It captures just how nightmarish, awkward and hilarious dinner with the extended family can become. Filled with tons bickering and bad blood, this movies produces side-splitting results. The cast is comprised of Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Claire Danes and Anne Bancroft.

Q: What is a Thanksgiving classic that has nothing to do with Thanksgiving?

A: Undoubtedly, this title belongs to the original Mighty Joe Young. Everyone associates this film with Thanksgiving for no other reason than because it is played on television every Thanksgiving day. Nobody is sure why, but this film has become a holiday classic.