5 Films With a Thanksgiving Theme

Check out these five films with an actual Thanksgiving theme!

When the holidays come there are usually a plethora of holiday themed films to coincide with the celebration. But while the Fall holidays like Halloween and Christmas seem to dominate the box office, Thanksgiving is a holiday that seems to be overlooked in Hollywood.

So while you may know a few Thanksgiving films of your own, here are films that come to mind when I think about films sharing a Thanksgiving theme. They may not be the greatest films but they do have a bit of personal nostalgia and are centered around this cinematically overlooked holiday.

Son in Law

Pauly Shore films were a guilty pleasure of the 1990s and sadly “Son in Law” was a film that I’ve seen multiple times. This film centers around Pauly Shore playing himself in the guise of a character named Crawl. On Thanksgiving break from college he accompanies his friend Rebecca (Carla Cugino) on a trip home to her family’s farm. Of course you can only imagine how this film progresses when you put someone like Pauly Shore in a small town, family setting.

“Son in Law” carries the usual Pauly Shore tone that you’ve seen in films like “Encino Man” or “Bio-Dome” where he plays an odd goofball amongst a group of more normal people. It might have some nostalgic value for those that enjoyed Shore during the 1990s but falls short on the list of Thanksgiving film recommendations.

Dutch

Much like “Son in Law” was capitalizing on Pauly Shore’s personality, “Dutch” was capitalizing on the rising star power of Ed O’Neill from “Married with Children.” O’Neill’s character Dutch Dooley is tasked with transporting a young, spoiled boy from private school to be home with his mother for Thanksgiving. As the boyfriend of the boy’s mother, there is quite a bit of animosity that is present throughout the journey home.

Surprisingly the script was written by John Hughes. While this is a fun film to pass the time there isn’t a lot of substance outside of that. I was introduced to “Dutch” early on in my life so there is some nostalgia there but I’m not sure how many moviegoers will enjoy the film. But if you’re looking for another Thanksgiving journey to take a chance on, then give it a try and tell us what you think.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles

This John Hughes film joins two comedy legends in a time-sensitive journey to make it home for Thanksgiving. The late John Candy plays a slobbish salesman that shares a journey with a well-mannered family man played by Steve Martin. This odd couple makes the journey both intriguing and hilarious through their conflicting personalities and antics that ensue along the way.

“Planes, Trains and Automobiles” is a testament to both John Candy and Steve Martin as comedic actors and is one of the most fun films to watch if you’re looking for something Thanksgiving themed.

Scent of a Woman

This is the best film of the list when it comes to quality. “Scent of a Woman” received multiple Academy Award nominations and gained Al Pacino a win for Best Actor.

The film centers around the bonding between a blind war veteran named Frank (Pacino) and a young private school boy named Charlie (Chris O’Donnell). Charlie cannnot afford to journey home for Thanksgiving so he spends his holiday with Frank in order to earn some money by taking care of him.

“Scent of a Woman” has some amazing characters, an enriching story, and an overall spirited theme. Its setting may fall into the Thanksgiving timeline but this is a film that can be enjoyed year round.

Thankskilling

This film is horrible (haha…maybe horribly good) but its focus is entirely centered around Thanksgiving. I came across this film on Netflix years ago and put it on as a joke in the background. While it was excruciating to watch, it did give me quite a few laughs in response to the film’s poor quality.

Some of the things you can expect from this film include, a turkey on a killing spree, ridiculously poor acting, and even a bit of beastiality (you can just imagine…haha). Overall this is a horrible film to end the list on with its corrupted view of Thanksgiving but you can’t argue that it’s “unique.”

Can you give us a few Thanksgiving themed films or favorites for the holiday?