When I started preparing this article I thought at the very least people had a movie that they would consider a Thanksgiving classic. When asked, though, everyone said that they usually watched Christmas movies around this time, so I had to go to Google to identify Thanksgiving related movies. Hey, don’t blame me for scraping the bottom of the barrel; blame society and their placing Christmas as a priority. I will, of course, be ranking these movies on both general rating and there truness to the Thanksgiving holiday. Let’s get this started!

7. National Lampoons Holiday Reunion (2003)

See what I said about scraping the bottom of the barrel? The thing is this barely qualifies as Thanksgiving movie. This is not another installment in the National Lampoon franchise with only one good movie, but a completely unrelated movie with NL branding to boost ticket sales (they didn’t). We follow a man wanting to give his family the true family reunion dinner despite not having a family. He then gets a letter from his long lost hippie brother to have a proper family meal. Obviously wacky hijinks ensue in this very forgettable movie, avoid if you have time.

Movie score(2/10)

Thanksgiving score(5/10)

6. Free Birds (2013)

While this movie certainly tries to be the Thanksgiving classic that everyone would see each year, it falls short by being an unenjoyable kids movie that relies almost solely on childish humor. And while the story could be interesting, the characters and tone are very dull and uninspired that if you saw this movie a month ago you’d probably forget almost everything about it.

Movie score(3/10)

Thanksgiving score(7/10)

5. The Oath (2018)

This is a fairly recent movie which centers on a family man.He and his wife agree not to sign an oath of loyalty to the United States, the deadline on Black Friday, aka the day after Thanksgiving. During their Thanksgiving dinner they are interrogated by agents and the threat escalates very quickly. This is certainly a passable movie but definitely not really something you can watch after the turkey.

Movie score(5/10)

Thanksgiving score(5/10)

4. Son-in-Law (1993)

Another movie that barely qualifies as Thanksgiving worthy, but it’s still a fun ride albeit pretty generic. A woman finishes high school in the farmlands and decides to take up schooling at UCLA, completely changing as a person. She later goes to a family reunion alongside her flamboyant friend. Pretty good but there are already many movies that are like this.

Movie score(6/10)

Thanksgiving score(5/10)

3. Addams Family Values (1993)

While being a favorite movie of mine I never thought of this as a Thanksgiving movie, although a scene in the middle confirms when this movie takes place. This is the sequel to the 1991 Addams family movie, with Uncle Fester falling in love with a murderous gold digger. While a good and funny movie, this barely has any Thanksgiving magic in it.

Movie Score(7/10)

Thanksgiving Score(2/10)

2. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

This is the only movie which people said they watched during Thanksgiving, and it deserves it, a classic to watch with the family every year, that never gets tiresome. You have probably already seen it so I don’t have to go over too much. I’ll just say that Charlie wants to spend Thanksgiving with his friends more than his family.

Movie Score(8/10)

Thanksgiving Score(10/10)

Now it’s time for the final movie (yes I know it’s supposed to be the Top 10, but there’s truth to the saying “There are no Thanksgiving movies.”)

1. Planes Trains and Automobiles (1987)

A fantastic movie, I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to watch a great Thanksgiving movie. While it’s explicit rating may turn some families away from  it, that doesn’t negate the fun ride of this (in some eyes) Thanksgiving classic. We follow a businessman and a salesman trying to get to their families for Thanksgiving through any means necessary. It’s filled with heart and soul and will certainly leave you remembering it!

Movie Score(9/10)

Thanksgiving Score(10/10)

While these movies are meant to be seen for this holiday, any movie is fine for watching with the family after a large meal! You’re most likely just going to fall asleep after all that turkey anyway.