There are specific movies I watch during New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, Halloween, and Christmas. However, I would argue that Thanksgiving is the most important time to watch movies.Â
You’re with family, nostalgia is at an all-time high, and it’s the perfect time to watch movies. Now, there aren’t as many Thanksgiving movies as Halloween or Christmas, but it’s an equally important holiday. I love watching movies during this time — new and old. There are five specific films I love to watch.Â
- A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)Â
-
My parents grew up watching this Thanksgiving special and my teachers always played it the Friday before Thanksgiving break. Without fail, I have watched A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving every single year over breakfast and before the Macy’s Day parade. From age four, when I still had baby teeth, to now, at 21, I have the ability to vote.
You’d think I’d grow up and grow tired of watching the same movie made for children, but there’s just something so nostalgic about the film. It’s like hanging out with an old friend that you haven’t seen in years. Sure, I know the story, and I know what happens, but I love watching it every single year to remember all the Thanksgiving memories.Â
Lucy Van Pelt was wrong when she said: “Isn’t it peculiar, Charlie Brown, how some traditions just slowly fade away?” This tradition of watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving hasn’t faded away, and I don’t see it fading away anytime soon.Â
I love this movie because it bridges the gap between the older generation and the younger generation. My grandparents showed this movie to my parents, my parents showed this movie to me, and I will show it to my children, continuing the cycle.Â
- The Wizard of Oz (1938)Â
-
I won’t get into the details and history of The Wizard of Oz, but I need to give some context. The Wizard of Oz wasn’t released in movie theaters, nor was it automatically a classic film made during the Great Depression. It wasn’t the next Gone with the Wind. No, what makes this film so iconic boils down to film rights.Â
Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM), the studio that produced The Wizard of Oz, wouldn’t let CBS lease Gone With the Wind, another film produced by MGM. As a counter, CBS offered $225,000 to MGM to allow them to lease The Wizard of Oz, and MGM agreed.Â
This is the reason why The Wizard of Oz is such as classic. It’s been shown for countless years on television.Â
This technicolor musical is safe enough to watch with the entire family, especially because there’s no cause for awkward and strategic trips to the bathroom during…certain scenes. The Wizard of Oz is one of those movies that holds up every year, and it doesn’t ever get childish or boring.Â
- Twilight (2008)
-
There are movies you can watch all year round, and then there is Twilight. Sure, the movie doesn’t take place during Thanksgiving. Sure, Bella didn’t move to Forks anywhere near Thanksgiving, but you watch that movie and tell me it doesn’t give fall vibes.Â
Look at the bluish-greenish filter, listen to the soundtrack, feel the Forks vibes, and tell me that it isn’t a movie you watch during Thanksgiving. It’s a movie you watch during Thanksgiving and Christmas.Â
It’s not a movie you watch during spring break or during the summer. I’d argue it should be illegal to watch Twilight when it’s over 65 degrees outside, or even any time that isn’t October to January; it’s just wrong.Â
Watching Twilight right now just feels so right. I can’t watch it at any time, but now. It’s like a warm cup of hot cocoa on a rainy day. It’s needed and almost required.Â
Twilight has awkward family dinners with okay food, family drama, weather that makes you want to stay in bed, and a family that plays sports. Now, to me, that sounds like the ultimate Thanksgiving movie. It also sounds like a typical Thanksgiving in my family.Â
- Knives Out (2019)
-
There’s something about the warm color grading of this film, the slight graininess, and Ransom’s cable knit sweater. This is a family drama where everyone is out for blood and vindication, and everyone is arguing with each other.Â
I would argue that it is one of the more realistic family dynamics, with Benoit Blanc acting as the voice of reason. Yes, Benoit Blanc isn’t related to the Thrombey family, but he serves as the family therapist and the mediator, the person who can dismantle whatever argument has started and the voice of reason.Â
I remember, one year, my extended family and I watched the film. It hadn’t been the greatest Thanksgiving. The turkey had been cooked upside down, and the taste could only be described as a “wet eraser.” By the end of the movie, we all realized that badly cooked turkey was inconsequential; it didn’t matter.Â
We watched it again the next year after all the sides came out inedible and came to the same conclusion. No matter how messed up Thanksgiving can be, we all agreed that we were better than the Thrombey’s.Â
- When Harry Met Sally (1989)
-
There are so many things you can love about this movie. So many things that scream “fall” about this film, especially all the cozy clothes and Billy Crystal’s white sweater will.
The movie was ahead of its time. It’s the blueprint for the “friends to lovers” trope, but I would argue that it’s the only one that could really pull it off. It might not be 100% family-friendly, but it’s a better option than Saltburn.
I love watching this movie while baking the night before. It gets me into the holiday spirit, and it hits the spot for the warm and fuzzy feelings sometimes lacking during the holiday season.
Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful, although having this time together makes you thankful for the time you spend apart, too. It’s different opinions at the dinner table and arguments that start with cranberry sauce and end with family secrets meant to be taken to the grave. But whatever happens during a Thanksgiving dinner, I can always count on my family to agree on watching a movie over pie.Â
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Pinterest!