The 22 Best Thanksgiving Movies to Watch After a Turkey Feast

There is nothing better than getting cozy on the couch and watching a heartwarming movie after your Thanksgiving feast.

Whether celebrating Thanksgiving with your loved ones or spending the day having some much-needed 'me' time, there are plenty of movies out there to keep you entertained.

By compiling the critic scores from top critic sites, Rotten Tomatoes and Meta Critic, and averaging the film's scores to get one final result, Newsweek has a list of the top 22 movies to watch to continue your Thanksgiving celebrations.

From Miracle on 34th Street to Little Women, check out the list below.

1. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

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Miracle on 34th Street (1947). 20th Century Fox

The original 1947 version of Miracle on 34th Street has come out on top as the best Thanksgiving movie to watch this year, with an average score of 92 percent.

Miracle on 34th Street featured a star-studded Hollywood cast including Maureen O'Hara, John Payne, Edmund Gwenn, and Gene Lockhart, and is the perfect movie to watch to get you excited for Christmas, which is just around the corner.

You can watch Miracle on 34th Street via Prime Video now.

2. Krisha (2015)

Close behind Miracle on 34th Street with a score of 90.5 percent is the 2015 U.S. drama Krisha.

The gripping movie stars Krisha Fairchild as herself and is directed by her nephew, Trey Edward Shults.

Krisha follows the story of a troubled woman in her 60s who has been estranged from her family for several years. For Thanksgiving Day, she wants to reunite with her family and cook them the perfect meal.

Krisha is streaming on Paramount+ now.

3. The Humans (2021)

The Humans is an American psychological drama film starring Richard Jenkins, Jayne Houdyshell, Amy Schumer, Beanie Feldstein, Steven Yeun, and June Squibb.

The hilarious yet haunting movie takes place on Thanksgiving and sees the Blake family experience an unsettling presence, leading to family tensions boiling over.

4. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

Planes, Trains and Automobiles
Steve Martin and John Candy in Planes, Trains and Automobiles Paramount Pictures/Getty Images

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is the classic comedy you will want to watch this Thanksgiving.

Starring Steve Martin and John Candy, the hilarious movie follows the pair as they try to make sure Neal gets home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles is streaming on Paramount+ now.

5. The Ice Storm (1997)

The Ice Storm is a gripping drama film based on Rick Moody's 1994 novel of the same name.

The film stars Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire, Christina Ricci, Elijah Wood, Katie Holmes, Glenn Fitzgerald, Jamey Sheridan, and Sigourney Weaver, and is set during Thanksgiving 1973.

The Ice Storm follows two upper-class Connecticut-based families who are living through the huge social change of the 1970s, including sex, drugs, and women's rights, and how they come to deal with it.

You can watch The Ice Storm via Showtime and Paramount+ now.

6. Pieces of April (2003)

Pieces of April is a noughties classic you will not want to miss this Thanksgiving.

The movie follows April, played by Katie Holmes, as she attempts to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for her estranged family.

Pieces of April is streaming now on Hulu.

7. Avalon (1990)

Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated movie Avalon should be on your Thanksgiving must watch list this year.

Starring Armin Mueller-Stahl, Aidan Quinn, Elizabeth Perkins, Joan Plowright, and Elijah Wood, Avalon is the third in director Barry Levinson's semi-autobiographical film series, following on from Diner and Tin Men.

Avalon follows the themes of Jewish assimilation into American life, including celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday.

8. Soul Food (1997)

Soul Food is a 1997 comedy-drama film starring Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Nia Long, Michael Beach, Mekhi Phifer, Jeffrey D. Sams, Irma P. Hall, Gina Ravera, and Brandon Hammond.

The laugh-out-loud movie follows the trials and tribulations of an extended African American family when they come together for dinner every Sunday.

Soul Food is available to watch via HBO Max.

9. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

Hannah And Her Sisters
Hannah and Her Sisters Orion/ Archive Photos/Getty Images

Hannah and Her Sisters is the star-studded Thanksgiving classic, written and directed by Woody Allen.

The movie tells the overlapping stories of an extended family over two years, starting and ending on Thanksgiving.

Famous faces appearing in Hannah and Her Sisters include Mia Farrow, Michael Caine, Dianne Wiest, Barbara Hershey, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

10. Scent of a Woman (1992)

If you are a fan of Al Pacino, you will not want to miss Scent of a Woman this Thanksgiving.

For his performance in the 1992 drama film, Pacino won the Oscar for Best Performance and the movie itself received nominations for Best Director, Best Picture, and Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published.

Scent of a Woman tells the story of a college student who takes a job to help a (not very friendly) blind veteran.

Scent of a Woman is available to watch on Disney+.

11. The Vicious Kind (2009)

Adam Scott, Brittany Snow, Alex Frost, and J.K. Simmons star in 2009's The Vicious Kind.

The dark comedy-drama follows the story of Peter (played by Alex Frost) who brings his new girlfriend Emma (Brittany Snow) home for Thanksgiving, only for his younger brother Caleb (Adam Scott) to become infatuated with her.

12. Addams Family Values (1993)

The Addams Family
Christina Ricci, who plays Wednesday Addams, dangling meat in a scene from the film 'Addams Family Values', 1993. Paramount Pictures / Handout/Getty Images

Hot on the heels of the release of Wednesday on Netflix, fans might want to check out the 1993 movie, Addams Family Values.

The movie is a sequel to The Addams Family (1991) and sees Morticia (Anjelica Huston) and Gomez Addams (Raul Julia) celebrate the arrival of their baby son Pubert into the world.

However, siblings Wednesday (Christina Ricci) and Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) are not very pleased about the new addition to their family.

13. Little Women (2019)

Little Women
Little Women is Greta Gerwig's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s beloved children's book Sony Pictures, Regency Enterprises, Columbia Pictures, Pascal Pictures

The six-time Oscar-nominated movie Little Women, directed by Greta Gerwig, is a must-watch.

It is the seventh adaption of the 1868 Louisa May Alcott novel and follows the lives of the March sisters—Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth—as they come of age in Concord, Massachusetts, during the 19th century.

Little Women features an ensemble cast including Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Florence Pugh, Eliza Scanlen, Laura Dern, Timothée Chalamet, Meryl Streep, Tracy Letts, Bob Odenkirk, James Norton, Louis Garrel, and Chris Cooper.

Little Women is streaming on Netflix now.

14. The Big Chill (1983)

The Big Chill
Director Lawrence Kasdan (front) stands with the male cast of his film, 'The Big Chill,' on location, 1983. L-R: actors Tom Berenger, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin Kline and William Hurt. Columbia Tristar/Getty Images

Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, William Hurt, Kevin Kline, Mary Kay Place, Meg Tilly, and JoBeth Williams star in The Big Chill.

The heartwarming movie follows a group of university friends who reunited after 15 years following the death of their friend Alex.

You can watch The Big Chill now via HBO Max.

15. Funny People (2009)

Judd Apatow's Funny People is a hilarious comedy drama starring Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, Jonah Hill, and Jason Schwartzman.

The feel-good film follows a famous comedian who befriends an aspiring comedian after receiving a terminal cancer diagnosis.

If you fancy watching Funny People, you can watch the movie via Hulu now.

16. You've Got Mail (1998)

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Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan in ‘You've Got Mail’ (Warner Bros.) Warner Bros.

Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan star in the classic '90s rom-com, You've Got Mail.

The plot sees Joe (Tom Hanks) and Kathleen (Meg Ryan) fall in love online, only to find out they are actually business rivals in the real world.

17. Home for the Holidays (1995)

Home for The Holidays is the perfect movie for the family to sit down and watch together this Thanksgiving.

The movie follows the story of Claudia Larson whose life has begun to crumble around her after losing her job. Facing spending Thanksgiving alone, Claudia leaves Chicago behind to spend her first Thanksgiving in many years with her dysfunctional family.

Home for The Holidays is streaming on Netflix now.

18. The Blind Side (2009)

The Blind Side is an Oscar-nominated biographical sports drama film, starring Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Lily Collins, and Kathy Bates.

Directed by John Lee Hancock, The Blind Side tells the extraordinary true story of Michael Oher, an American football player who overcame his troubled upbringing to play in the NFL.

19. Grumpy Old Men (1993)

Grumpy Old Men is the perfect winter romantic comedy to watch this Thanksgiving.

If you are a fan of Grumpy Old Men, the good news is there is a sequel, titled Grumpier Old Men for you to enjoy.

Grumpy Old Men is streaming on Hulu now.

20. The House of Yes (1997)

Parker Posey stars as Jackie-O Pascal in The House of Yes, a young woman recently released from a psychiatric hospital who is obsessed with Jackie Kennedy.

The dark film, which features themes of incest, divided critics at the time. For her performance, Posey won the prestigious Special Recognition for Acting Sundance Film but her co-star, Tori Spelling, received a Razzie Award nomination.

The House of Yes is available to watch on Prime Video now for viewers to make up their own minds about the film.

21. Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow (2015)

If you are not too full from your turkey feat, Jim Henson's Turkey Hollow may be the perfect Thanksgiving movie for you.

The Lifetime television movie is set around the Thanksgiving holidays and sees a family visit a farm in the town of Turkey Hollow.

However, when they arrive there, they are pursued by an elusive 10ft tall monster who is threatening to ruin Thanksgiving for the entire town.

22. The Myth of Fingerprints (1997)

Last but not least, The Myth of Fingerprints has made the top 20 best Thanksgiving films with an average score of 55 percent.

The movie, directed by Bart Freundlich, stars Blythe Danner, Roy Scheider, Noah Wyle, and Julianne Moore as a dysfunctional family who gets together in New England to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Molli Mitchell is a Senior SEO TV and Film Newsweek Reporter based in London, UK. Her focus is reporting on ... Read more

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