Our favorite classic Thanksgiving movies are Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987), A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) and Hannah and Her Sisters (1986). Five more follow, from a 1947 Christmas film that opens on a parade to a 2013 cartoon about turkeys. Each one has the director, the year and a reason to watch.
Updated October 25, 2026.
Thanksgiving is a strange holiday for movies. Christmas has hundreds of them, and Halloween has a whole genre. Thanksgiving has a short shelf of real favorites, and most of them are about the same thing: getting a family to one table without anyone leaving in a huff. That is why they still work. If you have ever driven somewhere for the holiday and wondered if you would make it, you already know the plot of half of this list.
Classic Thanksgiving Movies at a Glance
| Film | Year | Director | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Planes, Trains and Automobiles | 1987 | John Hughes | Adults and teens |
| A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving | 1973 | Bill Melendez | Young kids |
| Hannah and Her Sisters | 1986 | Woody Allen | Adults |
| Home for the Holidays | 1995 | Jodie Foster | Adults |
| Addams Family Values | 1993 | Barry Sonnenfeld | Teens and dark-comedy fans |
| Miracle on 34th Street | 1947 | George Seaton | The whole family |
| Avalon | 1990 | Barry Levinson | Adults and patient teens |
| Free Birds | 2013 | Jimmy Hayward | Kids |
How We Picked These Films
We looked for movies that people still bring up every November. Most are at least thirty years old, because a classic needs time to earn the name. We also made room for one newer cartoon, since kids need something to watch while the adults argue about the gravy.
Our list is not a ranking of the best films ever made. It is a list of the films that feel right on this particular holiday. We wrote it with a long weekend in mind, so some picks are short and some are better after a nap. If your favorite is missing, tell us. We like to hear it.
1. Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
John Hughes wrote, produced and directed this one. Steve Martin plays Neal Page, an uptight advertising executive. John Candy plays Del Griffith, a friendly traveling salesman who will not stop talking. A snowstorm wrecks their travel plans, and the two end up stuck together while Neal tries to get home to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving.
It works because both men are right. Neal has every reason to be annoyed, and Del has every reason to be kind. The comedy gets the laughs, but the last ten minutes are what people remember. I have watched a lot of old comedies over the years, and few of them end as warmly as this one does. If you only have time for one film this month, we would pick this.
2. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)
This is a TV special, not a movie, but no Thanksgiving list is complete without it. It first aired on CBS on November 20, 1973, and won an Emmy Award the following year. It was the third Peanuts holiday special, after A Charlie Brown Christmas in 1965 and It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown in 1966.
It also did something new. Apart from the opening football gag, it was the first Peanuts special to use a completely original script instead of borrowing from the comic strip. The story is simple. Peppermint Patty invites herself and her friends to dinner, and Charlie Brown has to figure out how to feed everyone. It runs about half an hour, so it fits before the real meal.
3. Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Woody Allen wrote and directed this comedy-drama about an extended family over two years. It begins and ends with a family Thanksgiving dinner, which is a neat way to show how much can change between one turkey and the next. Mia Farrow plays Hannah. Michael Caine plays her husband, and Barbara Hershey and Dianne Wiest play her sisters.
The film won three Academy Awards. Allen took Best Original Screenplay, Caine won Best Supporting Actor and Wiest won Best Supporting Actress. It is a talky movie with a big cast, so it is better for a quiet evening than a crowded living room. Anyone who has sat at a table with several branches of the same family will recognize the tension.
4. Home for the Holidays (1995)
Jodie Foster directed this family comedy, and it stars Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. Hunter plays a woman who travels home for Thanksgiving and finds the family exactly as she left it, only louder.
If you like Planes, Trains and Automobiles but want it set at the table instead of on the road, start here. It is not a gentle film. People say what they should not say, and then they pass the potatoes anyway. Most of us know that feeling. It is the most honest film on this list about why we keep showing up.
5. Addams Family Values (1993)
Barry Sonnenfeld directed this sequel to The Addams Family (1991), and Paul Rudnick wrote it. Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd and Christina Ricci return. Joan Cusack and Carol Kane join the cast. The Thanksgiving part comes at a summer camp, where Wednesday and Pugsley are made to join in the camp’s holiday play.
The scene is a sharp, dark joke about how the holiday is often taught to children. It is not a family film in the usual sense, so younger kids may find it too strange. Teens and adults who like their comedy a little sour will have a good time. Watch the rest of the movie too. It is funnier than most people remember.
6. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Most people file this under Christmas, and it belongs there. But the story opens on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is where a man who says he is Santa Claus gets hired. George Seaton directed. Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara and a young Natalie Wood star.
It also appears on our list of black and white Christmas movies, and it is in the Library of Congress National Film Registry. Watching it on Thanksgiving weekend gives you a head start on the season. It is the one film here that the whole family can sit through, from grandparents to the youngest kids.
7. Avalon (1990)
Barry Levinson wrote and directed this drama. It is the third of his four semi-autobiographical “Baltimore films,” after Diner (1982) and Tin Men (1987), and before Liberty Heights (1999). Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elizabeth Perkins, Joan Plowright and Aidan Quinn star. The story follows a Polish immigrant family across several generations, from the 1910s through the 1950s.
Thanksgiving matters here because the big family dinner is where the film shows how a close family starts to drift. It is slower than the others. Pick it for a night when nobody is in a rush, and keep the leftovers nearby.
8. Free Birds (2013)
Jimmy Hayward directed this animated comedy and co-wrote it with producer Scott Mosier. Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson lead the voice cast, with Amy Poehler, George Takei and Dan Fogler. Two turkeys named Reggie and Jake travel back in time to the first Thanksgiving, and their goal is to take turkeys off the menu for good.
It is the only film here from this century, and the only one made for kids first. Adults get a few jokes of their own. If you need something to keep a table of children busy, our list of family-friendly movies for kids has more ideas, though that list is built around Halloween.
How to Plan a Thanksgiving Movie Night
Watch the lighter film first and the heavier one later. A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving works well before dinner because it is short and the kids can follow it. Save Hannah and Her Sisters or Home for the Holidays for after the dishes are done, when the house is quiet.
Everyone has lived through the same Thanksgiving hour. The food is ready, the game is on, and nobody can agree on what to watch. Pick the film in advance, and the argument goes away. A simple plan is one short film, one longer one and a sitcom for the people who will not sit still. Our guide to the best Friends episodes is handy for that last group.
Streaming rights change from year to year, so we do not promise where any film will be this November. Check the title on JustWatch a few days ahead, and look at your local library’s free app as well. Many of these older films turn up there.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best classic Thanksgiving movie?
Our pick is Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987). John Hughes wrote, produced and directed it, and the whole story is one man trying to get home to Chicago for Thanksgiving. For a shorter watch, A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) is a TV special that fits in a half hour.
What is the oldest Thanksgiving movie on this list?
Miracle on 34th Street (1947) is the oldest. It opens on the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, which is why it counts for this holiday as well as Christmas. It was directed by George Seaton.
Which classic Thanksgiving movies are good for kids?
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973) is the easiest choice for young kids. Free Birds (2013) is a newer animated pick for ages that like talking turkeys. Addams Family Values (1993) suits older kids and teens, but it is darker comedy, so check it first.
Where can I stream classic Thanksgiving movies?
It changes every year. Services trade these films in and out, and a few only appear in November. Search the title on JustWatch the week you plan to watch, or check your library’s free streaming app and the TV listings for the holiday weekend.
Our Final Word
The best classic Thanksgiving movies all understand the same thing. The holiday is about the people at the table, and they are never perfect. Start with Planes, Trains and Automobiles, add A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for the kids, and see where the weekend takes you. Which one is your family’s tradition? We would love to know if we missed it.