Thanksgiving is upon us, and as we gather round the dinner table decorated with seasonal gourds while trying to avoid those painful conversations with uncles from Ohio, it’s important that we have an exit strategy. Few things shut a family up better than sitting in a dark movie theater where it’s absolutely appropriate to tell that uncle to shush if he starts going on about Uranium One or Colin Kaepernick. A movie is also a perfect way to avoid the Black Friday crush of mad shoppers looking to get a few dollars off a box of something they really don’t need.
The only problem is that the Thanksgiving movie season is chock full of options, and options are known to cause family catastrophes. To help you sort it all out, I’ve assembled a list of the best movies to go see over the long weekend to fit any mood.
“I haven’t seen a good teen movie since Edge of Seventeen.”
Great teen movies can be hard to find, but Greta Gerwig’s directorial debut Lady Bird, starring Saoirse Ronan, has been getting some of the best reviews of the year. More than winning over critics, though, Lady Bird promises to be the perfect fall-flavored, feel-good movie for your holiday needs: a little teen angst, a little sexual experimentation, a little mother-daughter drama. If that sounds like something you’d be into, heading out to see Lady Bird seems like a no-brainer.
“I want to see a superhero movie, but also value my sanity.”
Kiwi director Taika Waititi stylishly stepped in to take over the Thor franchise, and as any smart filmmaker dealing with a film about cosmic beings who beat each other up would, he turned it into comedy. Considering the other big superhero movie in theaters is the nearly three-hour long and apparently atrocious Justice League, Thor: Ragnarok is easily the right choice for a big family in the market for a big blockbuster.
“My kids need to be sedated. Is there a cartoon we can see?”
Pixar is back with an original film after sequels to Finding Nemo and Cars. Lee Unkrich, who previously directed Toy Story 3, returns with a project long in the works inspired by the Mexican Día de Muertos. Coco is about a guitar playing boy, Miguel, growing up in a family that has shunned music. Through a series of mishaps, Miguel ends up with the ability to cross over to the Land of the Dead to meet his ancestors. But that’s just the plot. What’s important here is Coco looks colorful as hell and is filled with jokes and music. Your kids will love it—and since it’s Pixar, you’ll probably end up sobbing.
“I want to watch Frances McDormand kick teenagers in the nuts.”
Martin McDonagh has made a name for himself as a playwright, and also as the man behind the wild, dark comedies In Bruges and Seven Psychopaths. Now, with Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, he’s turned his eye to the hilarious and dramatic story of a woman, played by Frances McDormand, on a mission to force her local police department to investigate the murder of her daughter. The film also stars Woody Harrelson, Peter Dinklage, Caleb Landry Jones and, in an amazing turn, Sam Rockwell. The movie is as moving as it is funny, with just enough off-color humor to make that uncle of yours laugh hysterically, though perhaps inappropriately.
“I need to get going on my Oscar-bait viewing.”
Gary Oldman in a full bodysuit and makeup, talking very loudly and forcefully in the role of Winston Churchill, as directed by Joe Wright. If that sounds like something you need to see, then by all means check out Darkest Hour. Oldman is great at hamming it up (and will likely win an Oscar). The movie itself is perhaps another matter, and not done any favors by the fact that it’s set during the evacuation of Dunkirk, which was the inspiration for a genuinely great film earlier this year. Still, you may get a kick out of seeing that event play out on the other side of the Channel.
“I need to watch the most sumptuous movie in years.”
A gay romance set in a lush Italian summer. Your uncle’s mileage may vary, but for anyone with a heart Call Me by Your Name will be sure to dig right into your soul. Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer are incredible as the young summer lovers, and the film also features an extraordinary performance from Michael Stuhlbarg. Most of all though, the film captures that beautiful aching feeling of falling in love for the very first time. It’ll leave you in tears, but so very thankful for the experience.
“I want to see the best movie of 2017.”
Okay, obviously that’s a very subjective statement, but if The Florida Project is playing near you this Thanksgiving, you really must run to see it. The story of young kids living in cheap motels on the Orlando strip leading to Disney World is as exuberant and intoxicating as movies get. It’s a heartbreaking film in many ways, but so full of life and humanity, and true empathy that it’s sure to have you feeling high. That, plus a surefire Oscar-contender performance from Willem Dafoe, and you really have no excuse for not seeing The Florida Project if you can.
