Do you have a complicated relationship with your family? If you do, these movies are definitely for you. If not, they are still enjoyable to watch. These are movies with a little hate and lots of love to watch with or without your family for Thanksgiving. This includes your given and social family. Only one of these movies is appropriate for children, but that won’t be revealed until later. All of the movies will have complicated family dynamics. There are animals, bees, brothers, sisters, grandmothers, and lots of death. None are scary unless you think the family dynamics are too close to your real-life family dynamics. Lots of meals are shared in the Thanksgiving movies, along with hate and love to make entertaining chaos.
Keep in mind that some of these films have sexual assault, attempted suicide, gore, language, and violence. These Thanksgiving movies cover some tough issues, but they all face their issues, albeit violently for some, but they face them. Some are new, and some are old, but all are just beautiful in their own way.
Ordinary People (1980)
This is a touching and heartbreaking film about a family divided by the accidental death of the eldest son, Buck (Scott Doebler). Timothy Hutton plays Conrad Jarrett, who has trouble adjusting to his personal and social life after his attempted suicide months before. His mother (Mary Tyler Moore) and father (Donald Sutherland) have their own way of dealing with Buck’s death and Conrad’s vulnerable mental state. The hate is more internal, but the love becomes more apparent as the film goes on. Ordinary People actually sheds a positive light on mental health help. Yes, it’s an upper-class family, but tragedy spares no class. This could be one of the Thanksgiving movies to watch with family and the raw way it shows love and hate. It’s worth a watch, and though it talks about tough subjects, it does it in a smart way. All performances are brilliant as well.
The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
This film was an adaptation of the Sue Monk Kidd novel of the same name. Dakota Fanning plays Lily Owens, who runs away from her abusive father to seek out women that knew her late mother. It takes place in the south in the 1960s with people of color, so you know it’s not all rainbows and daisies. Secret Life of Bees is one of the Thanksgiving movies with a lot of hate but so much love. This is a great film to watch with your chosen family since it’s about someone who finds her chosen family. Many film adaptations have not turned out well, but this is not one of those. Sure, the hate in this movie is hard to stomach, which includes racism. The family dynamic between the Boatwright sisters helps alleviate the hate. Dakota Fanning gives a really great performance as Lily.
Raymond & Ray (2022)
Talk about complicated family relationships. Ethan Hawke and Ewan McGregor play brothers that grew up with an abusive that even Nick Cannon would be impressed by his ability to reproduce. After their father passes away, he posthumously requests the brother lay him to rest. This is one of those Thanksgiving movies where the hate is aimed toward family (for good reason), but there is some complex love there too. This is absolutely not a film to watch with children. It would be awkward to watch with family since there is nudity and sexual content. The Apple TV+ is touching, and though all the comedic parts don’t always hit a home run, it’s still an entertaining family drama. The brothers deal with their dad’s death differently and have carried their troubled childhoods into adulthood. Also, Hawke and McGregor’s performances are always worth a watch.
You’re Next (2011)
This is not your ordinary family gathering for a nice meal. You’re Next is a horror film that will easily make you feel thankful for your own family. If your family is filled with murderous psychopaths, then this may hit too close to home. This is one of the Thanksgiving movies that has by far more hate than love. If the love does exist, it’s microscopic. Sharni Vinson plays Erin, who is invited by her boyfriend to a family dinner. The meal is interrupted as family members are slowly picked off by some masked intruders. Luckily, Erin is a survivalist and goes full beast mode to stop the intruders. There is definitely love for Erin because she really carries the film. This, by far, is the worst family dinner to be invited to. You’re Next covers harsh family dynamics that are perfect for Thanksgiving. Horror isn’t just for Halloween.
Prince of Tides (1991)
This stars one of the former “Sexiest Men Alive,” Nick Nolte. This hits the trifecta of trauma as the adult Tom Wingo (Nick Nolte) reflects on his very unhealthy childhood after his twin sister Savannah’s (Melinda Dillon) latest suicide attempt. Barbara Streisand stars in the film and directs it. She plays Savannah’s psychiatrist, who falls in love and has an affair with Tom. This is one of those Thanksgiving movies that has troubled hate and love. Despite the horrible things it shows the Wingo family go through, it is a beautifully made movie. Pat Conroy wrote the 1986 novel it’s based on and helped adapt the screenplay alongside Becky Johnson. It’s not uncommon for novelists to adapt their screenplays, but it’s always a pleasant surprise when they have a hand in the adaptations. This was adapted well, and the performances by Nick Nolte and Barbara Streisand are worth watching.
Perfect Strangers (2016)
How well do you know your friends? This is one of the Thanksgiving movies that starts with lots of love but dissolves into hate. The premise revolves around some friends that get together for a meal but decide to play a game with each other. The game is if any of them get calls or texts during the meal, they have to play the call out loud or read it to everyone else. This film was so successful that it was remade several times in more than 20 countries. The number of casual secrets these friends hid from each other, and their partners are astounding. This film was written, acted, and directed perfectly. Perfect Strangers, or Perfetti sconosciuti in Italian, is a great movie to watch with your given or chosen family. This film is a great example of how quickly love can turn to hate.
Angela’s Ashes (1999)
This is not an easy watch, but it’s a well-done film. It’s a film adaptation of the 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt. The film revolves around Frank and his family growing up in poverty in Ireland. Conditions for the family only worsen when his drunk father, played by Robert Carlyle, leaves the family and never returns. Emily Watson plays Angela McCourt, Frank’s mother. Even though Frank had a very hard childhood, his memoir and the film show the sacrifices and love his mother had for him and his siblings. It is not an easy movie to watch because the story is filled with complex subjects. Just because it’s hard doesn’t mean it’s not worth a try. The performances in the film are great, and it does just to McCourt’s memoir. McCourt experienced and observed the events in the film, so kids could possibly watch it.
Soul Food (1997)
Talk about complicated family dynamics. This is chock full of it. It’s definitely one of the Thanksgiving movies that have way more love than hate. It stars Vanessa Williams, Vivica A. Fox, Mekhi Phifer, Nia Long, Brandon Hammond, and more. The film has many recognizable faces in it. It’s told through the eyes of the 11-year-old Ahmad (Hammond). There are rifts between the family and many rivalries, but through their difficulties, they gather for Sunday dinners. This film will make you hungry and get you thinking about family for Thanksgiving. Even though it’s told through a child’s eyes, it has many adult things in it that aren’t meant for children’s eyes. It’s wholesome, with lots of drama and a family that sticks together despite the bad times they face. It’s worth at least a watch because it really is a lovely film.
Four Brothers (2005)
Long before Mark Wahlberg was known as the generic Boston cop in numerous movies, he was in films like this. This is one of the Thanksgiving movies that have a lot of love for family and hate for the people that threaten that family. Mark Wahlberg, Tyrese Gibson, André Benjamin, and Garrett Hedlund star as the brothers’ Bobby, Angel, Jeremiah, and Jack Mercer. The four brothers unite when their adoptive mother is mercilessly gunned down. They take it upon themselves to solve her murder. All the boys come from homes but found stability with their adoptive mom. The film Four Brothers contains strong language, violence, sexual content, and nudity. It’s definitely not ideal for watching this with small children. The late and great John Singleton made this film, so it deserves to be watched and appreciated. No matter what you think of the actors, they do very well in this.
Babe (1995)
Surprise! This is a film that is perfect for children. All the other films are very heavy, so here is one that is lighthearted and won’t give children nightmares. It revolves around the pig
‘Babe as he adjusts to living on Arthur Hoggett’s (James Cromwell) farm. This is one of the Thanksgiving movies that has mostly love and some hate (from Rex). Babe finds a mom in the Border Collie Fly, despite her mate Rex’s hostility toward Babe. The pig makes himself useful by herding the animals, and Hoggett decides to train him as a sheepdog, causing further irritation to Rex. This is about a farm family, humans and animals included. Babe may not be the film that comes to mind for Thanksgiving. It’s great for the whole familyand will have you saying, “That’ll do, Pig. That’ll do.” It also has the sequel Babe: Pig in the City.
There’s the list. It’s eclectic and hopefully unexpected. Some will make you think, and some may make you cry. It’s quite the mixed bunch of movies, just like the mixed group of people you’ll surround yourself with for Thanksgiving. Hopefully, you have way more love than hate in your life than in these films.
