Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Top 10 Must-See Thanksgiving Movies in 2012


With 2012 Thanksgiving Holiday coming soon, the happiness will be at hand. It is a time characterized with lot of fun and frolic, gifting, family feasting, community praying etc. Parades, fetes and fairs, eating at restaurants, shopping are an inherent part of the festive celebration.

Traditionally, the women will buzzer around the kitchen helping each other pull off the greatest feast of the year including roast turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing bread, sweet corn, etc. Sitting together to have the biggest meal of the year with family would be such a great fun, but what is the entertainment when everyone's likely to feel a little drowsy and well fed after the meal. It's a great opportunity to settle down to some relaxing activities like watching movies. Below is my attempt at listing some of the Best Thanksgiving films that I could think of.

1. The New World (2005)
                   
The New World is a 2005 romantic historical drama film written and directed by Terrence Malick, a historical adventure depicting the founding of the Jamestown, Virginia settlement and inspired by the historical figures Captain John Smith and Pocahontas. It is the fourth feature film written and directed by Malick (135 mins).
Director: Terrence Malick
Stars: Colin Farrell, Q'orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale

2. Addams Family Values (1993)
                   
Addams Family Values is the 1993 sequel to the 1991 comedy film The Addams Family. A comical Gothic horror-movie-type family tries to rescue their beloved uncle from his gold-digging new love (94 mins).
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld
Stars: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Joan Cusack

3. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973 Short Film)
                    
Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends over to Charlie Brown's for Thanksgiving, and with Linus, Snoopy, and Woodstock, he attempts to throw together a Thanksgiving dinner (30 mins). You’ll be thankful that your family watched this film as It teaches kids that when you sit down at the Thanksgiving table, it’s good to be grateful for all that you have—even if your meal is just toast and popcorn.
Director: Bill Melendez, Phil Roman
Stars: Todd Barbee, Robin Kohn, Stephen Shea, Hilary Momberger

4. An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving (2008 TV Movie)
                   
An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving is a television film based on a short story by Louisa May Alcott. Widow Mary Bassett (Helene Joy) and her 3 children have hit difficult times on their farm; it is especially apparent when they cannot even afford a turkey for their Thanksgiving dinner. Oldest daughter Tilly (Tatiana Maslany) writes to Mary’s wealthy and estranged mother Isabella (Jacqueline Bisset), exaggerating their situation in a lengthy letter. Isabella comes to the farm to offer her help and finds a kindred spirit in Tilly. However, Mary resents her mother’s attempts to help them out of their financial difficulties.
Director: Graeme Campbell
Stars: Jacqueline Bisset, Helene Joy, Tatiana Maslany, Kristopher Turner

5. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
                       
Hannah and Her Sisters is a 1986 American comedy-drama film which tells the intertwined stories of an extended family over two years that begin and end with a family Thanksgiving dinner. The film's set piece is Thanksgiving, where Hannah's (Mia Farrow) clan gathers together in a tremendous Central Park West apartment for the holiday celebration. The black maid polishes the silver, Mia's mother drinks too much and plays the piano, hearts are broken and mended in startling ways.
Director: Woody Allen
Stars: Michael Caine, Mia Farrow, Carrie Fisher, Barbara Hershey, Lloyd Nolan, Maureen O'Sullivan, Daniel Stern, Max von Sydow, Dianne Wiest

6. The House of Yes (1997)
                      
Indie film's first reigning queen Parker Posey won a Special Recognition award at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival for her all-out eccentric performance as Jackie-O. Mentally deranged but charming in her pill box hats, Parker flies into a menacing jealous rage when her adored older brother (Josh Hamilton) brings home a girlfriend (Tori Spelling) for Thanksgiving.
Director: Mark Waters
Stars: Parker Posey, Josh Hamilton, Geneviève Bujold, Freddie Prinze, Jr. and Tori Spelling

7. Home For The Holidays (1995)
                  
Home for the Holidays is a 1995 comedy-drama film directed by Jodie Foster and produced by Peggy Rajski and Jodie Foster. Jodie Foster's directorial debut gets it just right: dinner with the family can be a nightmare-and also hilarious. The Larson siblings — Claudia, Tommy, and Joanne return for a holiday dinner at their parents’ Baltimore home. There is a cloud of anxiety: the meal, at which are also seated a variety of friends and extended family, is the loud and raucous climax to a long day.
Director: Jodie Foster
Stars: Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Jr., Anne Bancroft, Cynthia Stevenson

8. Pieces of April (2003)
                 
In this surprisingly sweet Katie Holmes vehicle, April tries cooking Thanksgiving dinner for her demanding mother and ends up finding family in her neighbors. It is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Hedges which reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100
Director: Peter Hedges
Stars: Katie Holmes, Derek Luke, Sean Hayes, Alison Pill, Oliver Platt, Patricia Clarkson     

9. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
                 
Neal Page is trying to return to his family for Thanksgiving in Chicago after being on a business trip in New York. Del Griffith and Neal Page share a three-day odyssey of misadventures trying to get Neal home to Chicago from New York City in time for Thanksgiving dinner. For laughs, PTA is a very good movie, the performances of Martin and Candy and Hughes' surprising sympathy for their characters make it great. It is reigning champ of Thanksgiving movies, and with good reason.
Director: John Hughes
Stars: Steve Martin, John Candy

10 The Blind Side (2009)
                 
When they see 17-year-old Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) shivering on the streets, Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock) and husband Sean (Tim McGraw) offer him a place to spend the night. And while that one-evening invitation turns into something a bit more long-term, the gentle and soft-spoken giant is never quite sure of his place in this family - until he decides to “join” them for a Thanksgiving dinner.
Director: John Lee Hancock
Stars: Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron

What better way to commemorate the great American holiday than with a lineup of Thanksgiving movies? Forget worrying about the turkey and tricky sleeping arrangements, perhaps a family-friendly flick to help you through your food coma? Thankfully, I've listed the above 10 movies to watch that complement Thanksgiving perfectly.

Sure, these movies do have one thing in common: reminders that we can be thankful for lots of things - at Thanksgiving or any time of year. From heartwarming classics to laugh-out-loud comedies to historical dramas, let’s just start the movie watching together!

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