Just as Thanksgiving brings a slew of holiday TV specials, the holiday often wins a starring role in films hoping to cash in on the pre-Christmas movie crowds. And hell, that turkey sure looks good on the silver screen! Here are our favorite Thanksgiving films that take place in NYC—feel free to leave yours in the comments.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES (1987): This is probably the only truly essential Thanksgiving movie on this list; we have a hard time pretending to be unbiased about this masterful John Hughes film, in which a high-strung Steve Martin is forced to team up with happy-go-lucky John Candy to make his way from NYC to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving. And you thought you had holiday travel woes.
PIECES OF APRIL (2003): Somewhere between Joey Potter and Mrs. Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes starred in this surprisingly heartwarming independent film as a young woman attempting to host Thanksgiving for her disapproving family in her Lower East Side apartment. Patricia Clarkson is a scene-stealer as her cancer-battling mother, and you can even catch Allison Pill and John Gallagher, Jr. as her pre-Newsroom siblings.
THE DAYTRIPPERS (1996): Another family-centric Thanksgiving flick, this independent film stars Hope Davis as a woman who discovers her husband, played by Stanley Tucci, may be cheating on her. So, naturally, she and her whole family—Parker Posey, Liev Shreiber, Pat McNamara and Anne Meara—road-trip from Long Island to NYC to confront him.
HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986): We've previously raved about this NYC-centric film, but ne'er forget that this Woody Allen masterpiece begins and ends with Thanksgiving dinners. Here's a clip of the first dinner, but in the final one you can spot a pre-scandal Soon-Yi Previn sitting down to feast!
MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET (1947): This is really a Christmas movie, but this post-WWII classic actually kicks off at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. You know, back when the Christmas frenzy started after Thanksgiving instead of Labor Day. Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) wins a spot as the department store's Santa Claus when his predecessor gets wasted, and eventually teaches a tiny Natalie Wood and the rest of New York City about the true spirit of Christmas. Do not confuse for the 1994 Richard Attenborough remake, oh no no no.
SCENT OF A WOMAN (1992): Al Pacino won an Oscar for his role in this Martin Brest directed drama, and his performance alone as a retired, blind Army Lieutenant is worth repeat viewings. Chris O'Donnell's struggling prep school student takes a gig caring for Pacino during Thanksgiving, and ends up chasing him around New York City. In addition to Pacino and O'Donnell, look for stellar performances from bit players like Bradley Whitford, Frances Conroy and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.
And as a bonus:
ADDAMS FAMILY VALUES (1993): This is neither from a New York-based film nor officially a Thanksgiving scene, but if this isn't one of the all-time greatest Turkey Day-related moments in Hollywood history, we'll eat our three-cornered hats. Wednesday Addams (Christina Ricci) takes on the blonde and chipper Pilgrims at Camp Chippewa and effectively burns much of the place to the ground. Ricci's Wednesday will always be our macabre teen hero and fashion icon.
