I know it’s hard to believe, but the holidays are already upon us. Traveling, stress, that one relative who always says something inappropriate… (In our family that relative is me.) It’s autumn tradition! In the midst of turkey and trying not to strangle anyone, take a moment to find some “Serenity Now!” with a few of these titles. Who knows? Maybe everyone will be so distracted you can escape with the last of the pie. Let’s all toast to the Netflix binge!
Dutch
This John Hughes comedy is my all-time favorite Thanksgiving movie. Ed O’Neill is a blue collar guy dating a woman in a high class world. He offers to pick up her son from his elite boarding school to bring him home for Thanksgiving. All of the actors are great in their parts. JoBeth Williams as the mom who just wants her kid to like her, Ethan Randall as her beyond snobby son determined to make everyone miserable, and especially Christopher McDonald. He is SO great at being an unlikable slimebucket, right? It has everything you want in a holiday movie. A journey fraught with mishaps, bickering, bonding, heartwarming moments, and it’s really funny. Ed O’Neil really shines when he plays that working class man (Modern Family) and you won’t be disappointed.
Deadfall
This crime thriller is a different Turkey Day watch. Two siblings are on the run after a heist gone wrong. Forced to separate, they come up with a plan to meet back up at the Canadian border. In the midst of a blizzard, each of their separate journeys take a strange, violent turn affecting the people they come in contact with. It’s a strange, chilly thriller with an A-list cast. That crazy Thanksgiving meal. That crazy, crazy meal. Everyone is just trying to make it out of Thanksgiving alive. I think we can all relate to that.
Miracle on 34th Street
You may think of it as a Christmas movie, but I beg to differ. This is Thanksgiving all the way, my friends. The whole story begins with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! Kris Kringle has to stand in for an inebriated Santa and from there a journey of believing begins.
Friends
Friends is already awesome. But they had the best Thanksgiving episodes! Let’s look at some of the best.
- The One With The Rumor: Season 8 Episode 9: Well hello, Brad Pitt. Howyoudoin? Welcome to Thanksgiving. And hello, Rachel. Welcome to passive-aggressive holiday hell. Enjoy. And “Oh come on Will, take off your shirt and tell us”.
- The One Where Ross Got High: Season 6 Episode 9: The Trifle. Ooooh, the trifle. Custard? Good. Jam? Good. Meat? Good.
- The One Where Underdog Gets Away: Season 1 Episode 9: It’s Monica’s first Thanksgiving. Potatoes are ruined. Potatoes are ruined. Potatoes are ruined. It’s so heartwarming when Chandler announces how happy he is that everyone’s Thanksgiving sucked.
- The One With All The Thanksgivings: Season 5 Episode 8: Turkey on the head. No need to say more.
Pay It Forward
Trevor has an unusual assignment — think up a practical way to make the world a better place, and put it into action. He comes up with the idea to Pay It Forward…do a favor for three different people without being asked, and then ask them to do the same for three others. What better time to think about helping our fellow man than this holiday?
