It’s that time of the year again; Thanksgiving celebrations, here in the USA, kick off this Thursday, November 24. And while I’m not exactly big on the holiday, I won’t spoil your partaking in all the festivities that will consume the entire country over the next 4 to 5 days.

So, with that, I assume many of you have Thanksgiving traditions you’ll probably adhere to this week, or will maybe break from and try new ideas – whether in terms of what you eat, drink, talk about, watch, etc. There’s certainly much to talk about given the current political climate we’re in, post-election. And if recent reports are accurate, it’s safe to say that many of you might do more movie watching than you’ve done during previous Thanksgiving, to temporarily escape the so-called “Trump Effect.”




And it’s the “watch” part that I’m most interested in here, since this is a film and TV blog. What will you be watching on Thanksgiving Day/week/weekend? Likely football for many of you; while others stick to ritualistic screenings of “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” or maybe “Planes, Trains & Automobiles”?

I don’t know what I’ll be watching, if anything at all. I very well could be working, researching, writing, or just resting, mind and body. Although there’s a lot of television from the current season that I have to catch up on. And I might tune in to one of the football games that day; NFL games are as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey, mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie. This week is also Rivalry Week in college football. And as an Ohio State alum, the Michigan game on Saturday is almost always an affair.

Or I could even revisit some of the films mentioned above (and below) that, while not all necessarily, specifically “Thanksgiving movies,” do have scenes within them that take place during the holiday.

Including the aforementioned “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving,” and “Planes, Trains & Automobiles,” how about any of the below 5 films – some of which you may never have even considered, starting with Spike Lee’s “She’s Gotta Have It.”

Or maybe “The Wiz” or NBC’s recent “The Wiz Live!”

Do you remember “What’s Cooking’? The year 2000 film that follows 4 ethnically diverse families – Vietnamese, Latino, Jewish, and African American – as they prepare for Thanksgiving feasting; Alfre Woodard and Dennis Haysbert starred in it…

Or maybe “Antwone Fisher,” when, while spending Thanksgiving with Dr. Davenport’s (Denzel Washington’s) family, Antwone (Derek Luke) shares a poem he wrote. I couldn’t find a clip of that scene, so here’s the trailer:

Or maybe even “American Son,” which starred Nick Cannon in the dramatic story of a young Marine who is forced to grow up when he returns to his volatile family, during a 4-day Thanksgiving leave. A rare purely dramatic performance for Cannon…

So what might YOU be watching this Thanksgiving? Share with the rest of us… it’s after all the season for giving!