Christmas movies seem to dominate this time of year, but before you dive into those deliciously cheesy Hallmark holiday movies or go check out Red One in theaters, consider spending some time over the week of Thanksgiving on, well, Thanksgiving movies! An oft-overlooked (and honestly pretty rare) type of holiday film, the Thanksgiving movie could just barely touch on Turkey Day but have tons of autumnal vibes (like the Nora Ephron classic You’ve Got Mail), center entirely around getting home in time for Thanksgiving dinner (like Planes, Trains and Automobiles) or fall somewhere in between the two (like Sweethearts, which starts streaming on Max Nov. 28).
A Thanksgiving movie could make the perfect side dish to your turkey dinner this holiday season — and is definitely a great idea for that post-dinner food coma. Here are seven of the best Thanksgiving movies to stream this holiday season.
Sweethearts (Nov. 28)
Sweethearts follows two best friends and college freshmen with one goal to accomplish over Thanksgiving break: break up with their high school significant others, AKA pull off a “Turkey Dump”. Kiernan Shipka, Nico Hiraga and Caleb Hearon star in this coming of age comedy. Sweethearts premieres Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 28) on Max.
The Humans (2021)
In a time of turmoil, a family gathers in a tiny apartment in New York’s Chinatown for Thanksgiving dinner. Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun and June Squibb star in this underrated A24 film based on the Tony Award-winning play by the same name. You can stream it free through Amazon’s Prime Video.
Holidate (2020)
While not exclusively a Thanksgiving movie, Holidate does cover Turkey Day! Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey star in the romantic comedy about two single adults who team up to be each other’s date for every family holiday gathering of the year. You can stream Holidate on Netflix.
Friendsgiving (2020)
A group of dysfunctional friends gather for a Friendsgiving, bringing vegan dishes and tons of drama along with them. Malin Åkerman, Kat Dennings, Aisha Tyler, Chelsea Peretti, Christine Taylor, Jane Seymour, Deon Cole, Wanda Sykes, Margaret Cho and Fortune Feimster star in Friendsgiving, streaming on Starz.
Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009)
Another non-specific Thanksgiving movie, what Fantastic Mr. Fox lacks in official Turkey Day scenes it makes up for in stolen turkeys, elaborate dinner scenes and a gorgeous autumnal color palette. George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray are the vocal stars of this 2009 Wes Anderson film. You can catch Fantastic Mr. Fox streaming on Disney+.
You’ve Got Mail (1998)
Aren’t all Nora Ephron movies kind of the perfect fall film? You’ve Got Mail may just have that one iconic Thanksgiving scene, but I’ll take any excuse to return to this 1998 romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks. Plus, Elwood Edwards, the voice behind the iconic “You’ve got Mail!” notification, passed away earlier this month. So for both those reasons, I recommend revisiting You’ve Got Mail this Thanksgiving. It’s not streaming anywhere right now, but you can rent it for $4 on Amazon.
Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1986)
Steve Martin and John Candy star in this heartwarming John Hughes film about two strangers who are continuously thrown together after a series of travel mishaps as they try to get home for Thanksgiving. You can stream Planes, Trains and Automobiles on Paramount+.