5. “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”
Have you ever had one of those days where everything just goes horribly wrong, and one simple task turns into an event of epic proportions? Neal Page understands. Page (Steve Martin, “Cheaper By the Dozen”) is trying to get home to Chicago after a business trip to New York, but with blizzards, thieves and annoying companions abound, that effort seems nearly impossible. It’s a slapstick comedy involving constant bickering and freaking out, but by the end, it turns into quite the heartwarming flick. (Spoiler alert: they make it home.) And fun fact: it’s directed by John Hughes. Yes, John Hughes of “The Breakfast Club” fame. Steve Martin, John Candy. 1987. R.
4. “The Pursuit of Happyness”
Ah yes, the Smiths’ glory days before “After Earth.” Will Smith (“The Fresh Prince”) is Chris Gardner, a struggling single dad determined to make a better life for him and his son (played by Will’s real-life son Jaden) by applying for a job as a stockbroker. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry – you’ll be grateful you’re not sleeping in a subway bathroom. But what really makes this movie is the sheer integrity of Gardner, and the life lessons he seems to dole out on a daily basis. I’m looking at you, “People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you that you can’t do it. But if you want something, go get it.” All that from a simple basketball game. Will Smith, Jaden Smith. 2006. PG-13.
3. “Home for the Holidays”
“Home for the Holidays” is the Holy Grail of dysfunctional family movies. Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter, “As Good As It Gets”) is all set for Thanksgiving with the parents. Then she gets fired, makes out with her ex-boss, finds out her daughter is ready to lose her virginity over the holiday and has to meet her brother Tommy’s new “boyfriend.” Antics ensue. But with a pre-“Iron Man” Robert Downey, Jr. and a way, way pre-“Homeland” Claire Danes along for the ride, those antics sure are fun to watch. Holly Hunter, Robert Downey, Jr. 1995. PG-13.
2. “Miracle on 34th Street”
Okay, I guess this is technically a Christmas movie, but it begins on Thanksgiving, so that’s good enough for me. A pre-“West Side Story” (and pre-puberty) Natalie Wood plays Susan Walker, a young New Yorker whose tell-it-like-it-is-and-that-means-there’s-no-such-thing-as-Santa-Claus mother has to contend with a man who seriously believes he’s Santa. Make sure to get the original: the remake implements unforgivable changes like turning the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade into a Kohl’s Parade (seriously?) and a random scene where the bad guys tell Kris Kringle to make a reindeer fly in a courtroom. Whatever. Stick to the original, and within two hours you’ll believe in miracles. Natalie Wood, Maureen O’Hara. 1947. G.
1. “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving”
It’s the Thanksgiving special that lives on forever. Thanks to “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” we got classic moments like Charlie trying to kick the football while Lucy continues to pull it away (that jerk). All the classic “Peanuts” characters are there for the holiday: Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy, Woodstock. This goes down in history right next to all the other Charlie Brown specials, including the Halloween one (which we shouted out a couple weeks ago) and the Christmas special. Emmy-award winning, childhood-nostalgia-inducing … any film that ends with two lovable animals downing a Thanksgiving dinner together is fine by me. 1973. Not rated.
– By Emelia Fredlick
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