Thanksgiving Movies: There are More than You Think

The Dirty Little Forgotten Cinderella of Holiday Movies

When it comes to movies and TV specials, Thanksgiving is a little like Cinderella. Neglected by her stepsisters Halloween and Christmas, both of which get uglier and uglier each year with commercialization. Every horror movie ever made is perfect for watching on Halloween and goodness knows there seems to be no end to production of Christmas-related movies and TV shows.

I recently tried to come up with a great Thanksgiving movie or at least a great movie based around Thanksgiving, but frankly I drew a blank. Not for the first time, either, has that happened. The thing is, unless you're a big fan of the Cowboys or Lions or the useless waste of time that the NFL has become, there is usually not a whole lot to watch while you sit there breathing heavily trying to digest twenty pounds of recently consumed food.

So I did some research and guess what I discovered. There actually exists a wealth of movies and specials that are at least tangentially related to Thanksgiving. Some more so than others, let me tell you. I'll be honest, I haven't seen most of what follows and so can't give honest opinions, but when I can I will lead you toward those Thanksgiving-related movies that you might be able to rent at the local video store.

If you have happened to see some of the more obscure Thanksgiving movies on this list, by all means use the little box down there to make recommendations.

The House of Yes: Starring the inimitable Parker Posey as Jackie Bouvier, I must admit this is one I haven't seen, though it sounds quite entertaining. Apparently, on Thanksgiving, Jackie is awaiting the return of her brother and some funny stuff happens. I don't know what. I don't even know how much of this movie has to do with Thanksgiving.

The Myth of Fingerprints: Well, this one stars Noah Wyle and even writing those words down sounds wrong to me. How can a movie star Noah Wyle? Oddly, it's another movie about the return home of a brother on Thanksgiving and this one sounds more like Thanksgiving actually plays a big part.