The Best Thanksgiving Movies

There's no recipe for a great Thanksgiving movie, but football, family, and fall foliage do the trick.

View in Browser  Thursday, November 27, 2025 The best Thanksgiving movie—by a long shot—is Plains, Trains, and Automobiles. The John Hughes masterpiece is the It's a Wonderful Life of Turkey Day films. I will die on this hill. Of course, it's on our list of movies to watch this weekend, but there are many more. Some are obvious picks, others less so. All of them will satisfy you and help to fill all that downtime with your loved ones. Consider it our gift to you. Happy Thanksgiving!   – Michael Sebastian, editor-in-chief Plus: What does Carol uncover in Pluribus episode 5? Todd Snyder's Black Friday Event is the sale of the season The NFL Thanksgiving Halftime Show lineups are incredible These Are the Only 35 Thanksgiving Movies Worth Watching There's no recipe for a great Thanksgiving movie, but football, family, and fall foliage do the trick. Most people would agree that the perfect Thanksgiving combination is cornbread and gravy. Add a little turkey and sausage stuffing to the mix and it's one of the best holiday meals on the culinary calendar. (Apologies to Christmas, but I don't believe Scrooge when he talks up a perfectly cooked goose).   For me? The perfect holiday combo is a good movie and family. Hell, put it all together and nothing beats a food-coma snooze halfway through Remember the Titans. Unlike Halloween and Christmas, however, the one problem my family hits every November is that there isn't an endless treasure trove of Thanksgiving movies. Some very good films occur around the holiday—You've Got Mail, She's Gotta Have It, Spider-Man—but A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving might be one of the only films that's actually about Thanksgiving. That said, we usually just go with a fall classic.   No matter what, you can't go wrong with autumn leaves, family drama, and a dash of football. Whatever your family is into this holiday, these are the 35 Thanksgiving movies worth watching this year. READ THE STORY Want a head start on "New Year, New Me"? Black Friday is the perfect time to get new running shoes. Samantha Jones collects the best Black Friday deals for Adidas, New Balance, HOKA, and more. >> Forget what you know about Thanksgiving history. The holiday as we know it actually started with a widowed schoolteacher turned writer. Charles P. Pierce introduces you to Sarah Josepha Hale and the letter she wrote to Abe Lincoln that created Thanksgiving. >> 72 Unique Gifts for the Woman Who Thinks She Has It All We all have a special woman in our life who deserves the world, and maybe, sometimes, it seems like she already has it. Whether you're looking for the perfect gift for your girlfriend, wife, mom, sister, or daughter, we know you want to find something she doesn't already have but you know she'll want—which can seem daunting. Even if she says she has it all, we're here to tell you that she doesn't. You know she deserves a great gift, and you're hoping to think outside of the usual generic candle-we-get-and-give-away territory. You've come to the right place.   Even women who have everything appreciate a thoughtful gift, whether that's a personalized notebook, an unforgettable experience, or an investment wardrobe staple she's been eyeing. They also appreciate practical presents, like a flavored olive-oil set or the latest Apple tech. And don't forget that designer wares and cult-favorite beauty products will also get you far. No matter the occasion—a birthday, an anniversary, or a holiday—these gifts are sure to wow, and you'll win her over with your exquisite taste. By Bellamy Richardson How to Love Your Parents Even If You Hate Their Politics Many people I know have parents who are suffering from Early Fox News Dementia, ranting about the perfidy of Anthony Fauci and the possibility of catching critical race theory from an open jar of mayonnaise. But at the same time, they want to give their children parental advice and guidance, though now through the prism of their separate bespoke realities. They want to remain parents, but only on their own racist and hurtful terms. My counsel to these children—stemming from what my closest friends and I experienced, all of us immigrants in our forties from different parts of the world—is to orphan yourself.   After our Capitol building was raided by insurgents and in days when our very democracy has to apply for a renewal pass every two to four years, I can see native-born American parents of certain generations taking on some of the same qualities—qualities rooted in the propensity toward violence and control that was built into this country from the start. To them, their children are the enemy, and Thanksgiving is the battlefield upon which their sense of dignity will live or die. Some millennials and Gen Z-ers with younger, more progressive parents may not encounter this carnage, but those with parents still Booming along are stuck in a bind. They are part of a culture that encourages tight, helicopterish parent-child relations, yet talking to their parents brings them more grief than comfort. "I can't tell you how many times I say to my cousins to stop telling their parents about their lives," a friend wrote to me. By Gary Shteyngart Follow Us Unsubscribe | Manage Preferences | Privacy Notice | CA Notice at Collection Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2025 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779