The Best Thanksgiving Movies (and Where to Stream Them in 2026)

The short answer

The best Thanksgiving movie is Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987). John Hughes made a road comedy about two strangers trying to get home for the holiday, and nearly forty years later nothing has replaced it. In the US it joins Peacock on November 1, 2026. If you want something gentler for the whole family, put on A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973). For a grown-up family drama, try Home for the Holidays (1995).

There aren't many true Thanksgiving movies. Hollywood saves its holiday budget for Christmas. So this list mixes films set over the long weekend with a few that simply feel right after a big meal. We give the year, the director and, where we could confirm it, where each one streams in the US this November. Catalogs change, so check JustWatch before you press play. Horror fans should skip ahead to our Thanksgiving horror movies list.

The best Thanksgiving movies

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)

Steve Martin plays an uptight ad man stuck travelling from New York to Chicago with John Candy's chatty shower-curtain-ring salesman. It's very funny, then it quietly breaks your heart in the last ten minutes. Director: John Hughes. Streaming: Peacock from November 1, 2026.

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving (1973)

A 25-minute Peanuts special in which Peppermint Patty invites herself, and her friends, to Charlie Brown's for dinner. Toast and popcorn get served. Short enough to watch while the turkey rests. Streaming: Apple TV+, which has held the Peanuts specials exclusively since 2020 and must offer a free three-day window each November, according to Wikipedia.

Home for the Holidays (1995)

Jodie Foster directed this messy, warm family comedy-drama. Holly Hunter flies home to Baltimore after losing her job, and Robert Downey Jr. steals every scene as her brother. It's the most honest film about a family Thanksgiving dinner on this list.

Pieces of April (2003)

Katie Holmes plays April, the estranged daughter cooking her first Thanksgiving dinner in a small New York apartment with a broken oven. Patricia Clarkson was nominated for an Oscar as her mother. At 80 minutes it's the shortest feature here.

The Ice Storm (1997)

Ang Lee's drama covers one Thanksgiving weekend in 1973 Connecticut, with Kevin Kline, Joan Allen and Sigourney Weaver as suburban parents who are falling apart. It's cold and sad. Watch it after the kids are in bed.

Scent of a Woman (1992)

A prep-school student (Chris O'Donnell) takes a weekend job looking after a blind, furious retired colonel (Al Pacino) over Thanksgiving. Pacino won his Oscar for it, and the tango scene is still famous. Director: Martin Brest. Streaming: Peacock from November 1, 2026.

Addams Family Values (1993)

Not a Thanksgiving movie, except for one scene. Wednesday's summer-camp Thanksgiving play goes violently off script, and it's one of the funniest sequences of the 1990s. Director: Barry Sonnenfeld.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

The film opens at the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, where a man who says he is Kris Kringle replaces a drunk Santa. It makes a natural bridge from Thanksgiving to Christmas viewing. The parade itself holds its 100th edition on November 26, 2026, live on NBC and Peacock, because the 1942–44 parades were cancelled (Wikipedia).

Dutch (1991)

Ed O'Neill drives his girlfriend's spoiled son home from an Atlanta boarding school for Thanksgiving. John Hughes wrote it, and it works as a lighter companion piece to Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Free Birds (2013)

An animated comedy about two turkeys (voiced by Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson) who travel back in time to get turkey off the first Thanksgiving menu. It's silly, and it's the easiest pick for young kids.

Friendsgiving (2020)

Malin Akerman and Kat Dennings host a chaotic friends-only Thanksgiving in this ensemble comedy. It's uneven but easy to watch. Streaming: Peacock from November 1, 2026.

Holidate (2020)

A Netflix rom-com in which two singles (Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey) agree to be each other's date for every holiday of the year. The Thanksgiving chapter is the best part. Streaming: Netflix.

Which one should you watch?

Classic comedy: Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

Young kids: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving or Free Birds.

Family drama: Home for the Holidays or Pieces of April.

Something darker: The Ice Storm.

Date night: Holidate.

Horror: Thanksgiving (2023), see our Thanksgiving horror list.

More to watch this month

Thanksgiving week is also when the Christmas films start. For something scarier, our best horror movies on Netflix and best horror movies on Hulu guides are updated regularly. If the family wants a recent comedy, read our The Breadwinner (2026) review, a Netflix family film with Nate Bargatze. Background on the holiday itself is on Wikipedia's Thanksgiving page), and TV Guide's November 2026 streaming guide lists everything new this month.