LIST: The Best Thanksgiving movies

Joshua Ligairi » 11.23.11 »

Despite all of the obvious reasons to dislike Thanksgiving, I happen to enjoy the holiday. Mostly because I like eating large portions of mashed potatoes and gravy, but also because I love the coziness of the holiday and the opportunity to spend time with family. There is a Dutch word for that feeling. It's "gezelligheid." And boy are my family gatherings gezellig.

Another thing I like doing around this time of year is watch movies. Occassionally I'll be tempted off to a theater with a friend, but because I "spare the turkey," my food coma often subsides a little sooner than those of my friends and family and that makes for a perfect time to stretch out on my grandparents couch and watch a movie. But, what to watch? As you may remember from earlier posts, I tend to be very specific about my thematic movie watching. Problem is, there aren't many Thanksgiving films to choose from. In fact, the only two I can even really think of are A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (which doesn't hold a candle to the Halloween or Christmas specials) and Home for the Holidays (which I can't remember anything about).

So, until Eli Roth gets off his lazy butt and finishes his completely inappropriate horror romp, I'm stuck with my "Top 7 Not-Quite-Thanksgiving Films" that still manage to put me in the desired mood. Sorry, 7 was all I could come up with, and I was even stretching it with some of those. Though these films may or may not actually have anything to do with Thanksgiving, most of these take place in that wonderful transitional period between Autumn and Winter, have a strong nostalgic value around family and friendship, or are just plain good movies.

7. Indian Summer
6. Dutch
5. Grumpy Old Men
4. Hannah and Her Sisters
3. Dan in Real Life
2. The New World
1. Planes Trains & Automobiles

Any surprises? Certainly not with the number one. And isn't that a sad commentary on the state of Thanksgiving movies? Maybe, as mentioned before, Thanksgiving just isn't a very inspiring holiday. I mean, they made a better film out of Groundhog Day for crying out loud!
But let's consider this a challenge to young, Thanksgiving-loving filmmakers everywhere. The competition is almost non-existent. This is your chance to break into the American collective consciousness. But what's the story? Maybe a "Black Friday" Thanksgiving campout movie? No, that would suck. What I'd really like to see is an honest historical depiction of the first Thanksgiving. Something like The New World, but focused on the lead up to the initial celebration could be really cool.

Anyway, here are some honorable mentions: Son In Law (if you prefer weasels to turkeys), Leatherheads (if you are watching with your Grandparents), and maybe One Good Man (if your family happens to be both cheesy and Mormon like mine).

By the way, don't even think about giving me a hard time about omitting from my list films such as Pieces of April, House of Yes, Tadpole, The Ice Storm. Despite varied cult status and critical acclaim, these are not, IMHO, great movies and are certainly not great Thanksgiving movies. Also, please don't show your children that terrible Disney version of Pocahontas. The New World is far less sexist and racist and a much better all-around film.

Now, off to prep some homemade cranberry sauce. Which reminds me of another Dutch phrase I like to use this time of year: "Eets makkelijk!"

BLOG: Who ya gonna call?

Joshua Ligairi » 11.25.09 »

I've often imagined getting the Thanksgiving phone call--you know the one--but it just hasn't happened yet. This year was the first time that I actually believed it could. Not with all my heart, mind you. I save a little slice of that just in case, so if things turn out poorly, my heart doesn't break or burst. You've got to leave a little wiggle room. That said, I was pretty confident this year.

As the day drew nearer, I held out hope--but nothing. When I woke up Thanksgiving morning, I had hope--still nothing. I called some peers, some who had gotten the call in the past and others who hadn't, but all of them hoping for a call this year, and each with specific insight into how it all worked.

"They make all the calls before Thanksgiving," the first said matter-of-factly. "You think they are going to spend the whole holiday on the phone?" That made sense.

"No, no, no. You can still get the call by Friday," the next postured. "They aren't in any hurry." Well, that was true too. They weren't under anyone's deadline but their own. This could be good.

My next call confirmed that suspicion and took it further. "I've heard that they deliberate over the weekend." It is a whole new world this year. New management. They are shaking things up." Maybe I had plenty of time. I didn't know what to believe.

Finally, "You would have gotten the call by now." And that was probably true.

Still, as I peeled potatoes and washed fresh cranberries, I continued to hold out just a glimmer of hope. But at a certain moment during dinner, I started to feel it and, as the night wore on, that damned sinking feeling started to set in. This had never really been a problem in the past because until now, I had never truly believed I stood a chance. But this year was different, wasn't it?

"Don't be stupid," I told myself. "You didn't actually think you were going to get the call did you?" I thought about it for a long time even though I already knew the answer. I lied, "No, no of course not. That would be crazy."

So, as I mentioned before, I have never received that precious call. It just never occurred to me until this year that perhaps I never will. And you know what? Others call. Life just simply moves forward. To quote another whose phone did not ring this year, "Do your work. The rest is in God's hands."

Still...what would this feel like?