Thanksgiving has always carried its own rhythm—part celebration, part reflection—shaped as much by family tables and familiar recipes as by the stories that unfold on screen.
Over the decades, a handful of films have captured the holiday’s shifting moods: the quiet reconciliations, the chaotic reunions, the warmth that sneaks in between small disagreements.
From intimate character dramas to offbeat comedies that lean into the unpredictability of gathering together, Thanksgiving cinema has carved out a small but memorable corner in pop culture.
Some films revisit the nostalgia of home, others dissect family dynamics with a sharper edge, yet each one contributes to the atmosphere that surrounds late November.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
The undisputed champion of the Thanksgiving cinematic universe. This John Hughes masterpiece transforms the agonizing, cross-country scramble to reach the family table into a hilarious yet genuinely poignant meditation on unexpected companionship. It is the perfect blend of frantic comedy and profound, last-minute heartwarming redemption.
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
An essential, perennial classic that anchors the holiday with a simple, childlike charm. Its unconventional feast of popcorn, pretzel sticks, and toast—accompanied by Linus’s historical misgivings and Snoopy’s culinary antics—proves that gratitude is less about the menu and more about the mess of friends gathered around.
Home for the Holidays (1995)
Directed by Jodie Foster, this film is a sharply observed, frequently chaotic portrait of a family reunion that perfectly captures the underlying tension and love of a modern clan. It’s a beautifully acted look at the emotional volatility of returning home and trying to keep it together while the turkey is burning.
The Ice Storm (1997)
Set against a frigid 1973 Thanksgiving weekend, Ang Lee’s work is the definitive antidote to holiday saccharine. It delves into the malaise and quiet despair of two affluent, disconnected Connecticut families, using the holiday as a backdrop for marital discontent, generational gap, and a tragic reckoning.
Scent of a Woman (1992)
While not exclusively a holiday film, the pivotal, Oscar-winning performance by Al Pacino as the blind, retired Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade centers dramatically around the Thanksgiving break. It uses the quiet structure of the long weekend to explore themes of mentorship, integrity, and the raw poetry of a man finding his reason to live.
Addams Family Values (1993)
An unexpectedly dark and delightful choice, featuring Wednesday Addams’s glorious, subversive take on the ‘First Thanksgiving’ play at summer camp. This segment alone is worth its inclusion, serving as a hilarious, Gothic skewering of historical mythology and overly cheerful holiday pageantry.
Pieces of April (2003)
This indie gem follows the ‘black sheep’ daughter, April, attempting to host a perfect Thanksgiving dinner in her cramped Lower East Side apartment for her estranged, complicated family. It’s a grounded, often tough-to-watch, yet ultimately touching story about earning acceptance and the small victories of imperfect love.
Krisha (2015)
A deeply unsettling and raw indie film that strips away the gloss, turning a family Thanksgiving into a claustrophobic, anxious psychological thriller. It explores the fragile tensions that surface when a recovering addict attempts to reconnect and make amends at the most high-pressure family gathering of the year.
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Woody Allen uses the Thanksgiving dinner table as a recurring structural device across two years, charting the shifting romantic entanglements, professional crises, and existential musings of three close-knit sisters. It’s a rich, sophisticated character study where the holiday serves as a reliable milestone of change.
Avalon (1990)
Barry Levinson’s semi-autobiographical epic follows an immigrant family’s assimilation into American life, often using holiday celebrations as cultural benchmarks. The most famous Thanksgiving moment—the furious realization that a younger generation dared to carve the turkey before the patriarch arrived—is an enduring and relatable cinematic moment of family tradition colliding with modernity.