Susan Granger At The Movies

Thanksgiving Movies to Enjoy

Whether you’re visiting or at home this week, there are many streaming movies about Thanksgiving that you can enjoy with friends and family. Here are my favorites — and where to find them:

“A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” (1973)  This 25-minute animated film is a true classic, as Charlie Brown learns the real meaning of the holiday, along with the rest of his Peanuts gang. Watch on Apple TV+ or Amazon Prime.

“Home for the Holidays” (1995)  Jodie Foster directed this dramedy revolving around single mother (Holly Hunter) who travels to her childhood home for an explosive holiday dinner with her dysfunctional family. There’s her long-suffering sister (Cynthia Stevenson), snobby brother-in-law (Steve Guttenberg) and nutty aunt (Geraldine Chaplin). Sparking the evening is a flirtation with her brother’s friend Leo Fish (Dylan McDermott). Watch on Amazon Prime or Starz.

“Planes, Trains & Automobiles” (1987)  This John Hughes comedy classic — starring Steve Martin, John Candy, Laila Robins and Kevin Bacon — centers on a road trip gone terribly wrong. It will put any of your hellish holiday travel experiences into perspective. Watch on Amazon Prime, Fandango Now, YouTube or Apple TV.

“What’s Cooking?” (2000)  This little-known gem follows four Los Angeles families — Latino, Asian, African-American and Jewish — gathering for Thanksgiving. Although they come from very different cultures, they share the same trials & tribulations, including kitchen mishaps. Watch on Amazon Prime.

“Pieces of April” (2003)  Katie Holmes plays a rebellious young woman hosting her mother for Thanksgiving in her tiny New York apartment. Watch on Amazon Prime, or Hulu.

“For Your Consideration” (2006)  This mockumentary follows three actors in a new film called “Home for Purim” that’s renamed since the first title seemed “too Jewish.” Cast includes “Schitt’s Creek” stars Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara, along with Harry Shearer & Parker Posey. Watch on Amazon Prime.

“The Ice Storm” (1997)  Set in new Canaan, Ang Lee’s star-studded drama forces this small Connecticut town to confront its neighborly issues, including affairs and broken relationships. Cast includes Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Joan Allen, Tobey Maguire and Elijah Wood. Watch on Amazon Prime, YouTube or Fandango NOW.

”Hannah and Her Sisters” (1986)  Woody Allen’s comedic drama, starring Mia Farrow, Dianne Weist, Barbara Hershey, and Michael Caine is set between two Thanksgivings. Watch on Amazon Prime.

“The Last Waltz” (1978)  Documentary about the last concert of the American/Canadian rock group The Band in San Francisco on Thanksgiving. Watch on Amazon Prime, Hulu or Epix.

“Alice’s Restaurant” (1969)  A cinematic adaptation of Arlo Guthrie’s classic song story. Watch on Amazon Prime.

“The Turkey Bowl” (2019)  A former high-school quarterback (Ryan Hansen) is tricked into returning home for Thanksgiving weekend because his buddies need his help finishing a game from 15 years ago, known as the Turkey Bowl. Watch on Hulu.

Interested in history?

“The New World” (2005)  Chronicle of the romance between Capt. John Smith (Colin Farrell) and Pocahontas (Q’orianka Kilcher) in Virginia’s Jamestown settlement. Watch on Amazon Prime, YouTube or Fandango NOW.

“American Experience: The Pilgrims” (2015)  A documentary about founding of the first English colony in New England and the first Thanksgiving. Watch on Amazon Prime.

And since Thanksgiving …

… seems synonymous with football, add these football favorites:

“The Blind Side” (2009)  Sandra Bullock won an Oscar for this sports drama, based on a true story as a homeless teen is taken in by a wealthy family; he learns that love and hard work can make your dreams come true. Available on Amazon Prime or Sling.

“All the Right Moves” (1983)  Tom Cruise and Lea Thompson star in this sensitive study of an ambitious high school football star who desperately wants a football scholarship so he can get out of Johnstown, Pennsylvania; his equally ambitious coach aims at a college position, resulting in a clash that could crush the player’s dreams. Watch on Amazon Prime or Epix.

“Remember the Titans” (2000)  True story of an African-American coach and the first racially integrated team in suburban Virginia. It’s viewed through the eyes of the players when the man hired to coach the Black school is made head coach. The team becomes a unifying symbol for the community, as the players and adults learn to depend on and trust one another. Watch on Amazon Prime or Disney+.

“Invincible” (2005)  Mark Wahlberg and Greg Kinnear star in this biopic about Vince Papola, the 30 year-old bartender who joined the NFL’s Eagles in 1976. Watch on Amazon Prime and Disney.

Susan Granger is a product of Hollywood. Her natural father, S. Sylvan Simon, was a director and producer at M.G.M. and Columbia Pictures. Her adoptive father, Armand Deutsch, produced movies at M.G.M.

As a child, Susan appeared in movies with Abbott & Costello, Red Skelton, Lucille Ball, Margaret O’Brien, and Lassie. She attended Mills College in California, studying journalism with Pierre Salinger, and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with highest honors in journalism.

During her adult life, Susan has been on radio and television as an anchorwoman and movie and drama critic, syndicating her reviews and articles around the world, including Video Librarian. She has appeared on American Movie Classics and Turner Classic Movies. In 2017, her book 150 Timeless Movies was published by Hannacroix Creek Books.

Her website is www.susangranger.com. Follow her on Twitter @susangranger.