Every Thanksgiving Movie Ranked by How Dysfunctional the Family Is

Thanksgiving movies provide a cathartic outlet for audiences who feel overwhelmed by their own holiday obligations. These films range from lighthearted comedies about cooking mishaps to dark dramas involving deep psychological trauma and betrayal. The dysfunction portrayed on screen often serves as a magnified reflection of the universal stress that accompanies mandatory family gatherings. Viewers can explore everything from petty squabbles over burnt turkeys to life-altering secrets revealed over pumpkin pie. The following list ranks these cinematic holidays starting from minor disagreements and ending with absolute catastrophic breakdowns.

‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ (1973)

Peppermint Patty invites herself and several friends over to Charlie Brown’s house without giving him any notice. The flustered host attempts to put together a meal of toast and popcorn because he cannot cook a traditional dinner. Tension rises when the ungrateful guests openly complain about the lack of turkey and mashed potatoes. The story resolves peacefully but highlights the anxiety caused by pushy friends and the fear of failing as a host.

‘Son in Law’ (1993)

A college student brings her eccentric resident advisor home to her conservative family farm for the holiday weekend. Pauly Shore plays the fish out of water who disrupts the traditional rural lifestyle with his outlandish clothing and behavior. The family struggles to accept his presence while the daughter hides her own transformation from her parents. Cultural clashes dominate the dinner table until the group learns to accept their differences.

‘Dutch’ (1991)

A working-class man volunteers to drive his girlfriend’s snobbish son home from boarding school for Thanksgiving. The boy acts with extreme hostility and attempts to sabotage the trip at every possible turn. Their journey involves physical altercations and destruction of property as they navigate their mutual disdain. The dysfunction here stems from the friction of a blended family trying to force a bond before one naturally exists.

‘Tower Heist’ (2011)

The staff of an upscale apartment building discovers the wealthy penthouse owner has stolen their pensions just before the Thanksgiving Day Parade. They plot a revenge robbery during the holiday festivities to reclaim their financial future. The “family” unit here is the workplace team that fractures under the pressure of criminal activity and betrayal. The holiday setting serves as an ironic backdrop for financial ruin and desperate measures.

‘Instant Family’ (2018)

A couple takes in three foster children and faces immediate resistance and chaos during their first holiday meal together. Extended family members offer judgmental comments that exacerbate the already high tension in the household. The turkey dinner creates a stage for behavioral outbursts and accidental fires that threaten to end the adoption process. This film depicts the messy reality of building trust within a newly formed family unit.

‘Funny People’ (2009)

A famous comedian learns he has a terminal illness and reconnects with an old flame during a Thanksgiving dinner at her home. The gathering becomes incredibly awkward as his presence threatens the stability of her current marriage. Clarke hangs over the table like a dark cloud while the husband struggles to contain his jealousy and anger. The scene captures the pain of unresolved romantic history intruding on a domestic celebration.

‘Addams Family Values’ (1993)

Wednesday and Pugsley are sent to a summer camp where they are forced to participate in a Thanksgiving play. The siblings stage a coup during the performance and burn the set to the ground while denouncing the historical inaccuracies of the holiday. Their rejection of forced conformity highlights the dysfunction of the society around them rather than their own family unit. The Addams clan proves to be the most stable group despite their macabre interests.

‘Scent of a Woman’ (1992)

Lieutenant Colonel Frank Slade visits his brother’s family for a dinner that is thick with resentment and past grievances. The blind veteran purposely antagonizes his nephews and makes everyone uncomfortable with his abrasive storytelling. His family clearly views his presence as a burden rather than a joy and waits for him to leave. The meal serves as a painful reminder of how disability and bitterness can isolate a person from their kin.

‘Spider-Man’ (2002)

Norman Osborn joins Peter Parker and his friends for a Thanksgiving dinner after discovering the hero’s secret identity. The villain navigates the meal with menacing politeness while plotting the destruction of his son’s best friend. Aunt May senses the tension but remains oblivious to the mortal danger sitting at her dining table. This scene masterfully uses the holiday setting to heighten the stakes of the superhero conflict.

‘Grumpy Old Men’ (1993)

Two lifelong neighbors spend their holiday feud escalating their prank war and competing for the affection of a new woman in town. Their children try to mediate the conflict but end up caught in the crossfire of insults and sabotage. The dysfunction is rooted in a decades-old grudge that has consumed the lives of everyone involved. Loneliness and stubbornness threaten to ruin the festive spirit until a medical emergency forces a truce.

‘What’s Cooking?’ (2000)

Four different families from diverse cultural backgrounds navigate their own crises on the same Thanksgiving Day. Secrets regarding sexual orientation and infidelity threaten to explode as the turkeys are prepared. The film weaves these stories together to show that family stress is a universal experience regardless of ethnicity. Burnt food mirrors the heated arguments that take place in every dining room.

‘The Oath’ (2018)

A government mandate requires citizens to sign a loyalty pledge by Black Friday which causes a political civil war within one family. The dinner conversation devolves into screaming matches and physical violence as relatives take opposing sides. Two federal agents eventually crash the gathering and turn the argument into a hostage situation. This film satirizes the extreme polarization that can tear families apart during politically charged times.

‘Lez Bomb’ (2018)

A young woman brings her girlfriend home for Thanksgiving with the intention of coming out to her conservative family. Her relatives assume the partner is just a roommate and continuously try to set her up with men. The protagonist struggles to find the right moment to speak amidst the chaotic arrival of uninvited guests. The dysfunction arises from the suffocating heteronormativity and lack of communication within the multigenerational household.

‘Tadpole’ (2002)

A precocious teenager returns from boarding school with a profound and inappropriate crush on his stepmother. He attempts to woo her during the holiday break while his father remains completely oblivious to the betrayal. The situation becomes even more complicated when the boy sleeps with his stepmother’s best friend instead. High society manners barely conceal the uncomfortable Oedipal dynamics at play.

‘Avalon’ (1990)

A sprawling immigrant family finds their bond tested when a faction arrives late to the Thanksgiving dinner. The uncle cuts the turkey before the latecomers arrive which sparks a feud that lasts for years. This single slight represents the erosion of tradition and the widening gap between the generations. The film shows how a petty grievance over etiquette can become a symbol for the dissolution of the family unit.

‘She’s Gotta Have It’ (1986)

Nola Darling invites her three lovers to share a Thanksgiving meal and attempts to maintain peace among them. The men engage in alpha-male posturing and passive-aggressive insults throughout the dinner. The experiment fails to create harmony and instead highlights the impossibility of her romantic arrangement. The scene is a study in ego and jealousy disrupting what should be a communal celebration.

‘Hannah and Her Sisters’ (1986)

A husband falls in love with his wife’s sister and embarks on an affair that spans multiple Thanksgiving gatherings. The holiday acts as a marker of time while the family remains unaware of the betrayal happening in their midst. Another sister struggles with drug addiction and financial instability while the others look on with judgment. The intellectual conversations at the table mask deep emotional dishonesty and pain.

‘American Beauty’ (1999)

Lester Burnham undergoes a midlife crisis that culminates in a disastrous dinner where he throws a plate of asparagus against the wall. His wife and daughter watch in horror as he rejects their suburban facade and asserts his new nihilistic outlook. The scene reveals the total collapse of respect and communication within the household. This moment marks the point of no return for a family heading toward tragedy.

‘Home for the Holidays’ (1995)

Claudia Larson faces a firing squad of criticism from her parents and siblings after losing her job. The family shouts over one another and ignores boundaries in a way that feels claustrophobic and manic. A turkey inadvertently lands on a lap during a particularly heated moment of the dinner. The film accurately depicts the exhausting nature of a family that loves intensely but lacks any emotional filter.

‘Pieces of April’ (2003)

April Burns tries to cook a meal for her dying mother in a broken oven while her family drives to the city expecting the worst. The mother openly expresses her disdain for the trip and her disappointment in her daughter’s life choices. Every character carries the weight of past hurts and the fear that this will be their final holiday together. The dysfunction is heavy with grief and the desperate need for reconciliation.

‘The Humans’ (2021)

A family gathers in a crumbling duplex in Chinatown where the physical decay mirrors their psychological state. Strange noises and failing lights amplify the anxiety as the characters discuss financial ruin and health scares. The parents and daughters hide secrets that slowly bleed out into the open as the evening progresses. It plays like a horror movie where the monster is the crushing weight of familial disappointment.

‘Prisoners’ (2013)

Two young girls are abducted shortly after a Thanksgiving meal shared by their neighboring families. The festive atmosphere instantly dissolves into a nightmare of panic and suspicion. One father takes the law into his own hands and imprisons a suspect in an abandoned building. The holiday serves as the inciting incident for a descent into moral darkness and obsession.

‘Krisha’ (2015)

An estranged aunt returns to her family after years of battling addiction and insists on cooking the turkey. The chaotic sound design puts the viewer inside her head as she struggles to maintain her sobriety amidst family judgment. Small slights build up until a terrified dog and a dropped turkey lead to a massive meltdown. The film is a harrowing portrait of how addiction can shatter the trust and safety of a holiday gathering.

‘The Ice Storm’ (1997)

Two families in the 1970s engage in adultery and dangerous sexual experimentation over the Thanksgiving weekend. The parents attend a key party while their neglected children wander into perilous situations involving drugs and electricity. The emotional coldness of the adults leads directly to the death of a child. The dysfunction here is lethal and stems from profound selfishness and moral apathy.

‘The House of Yes’ (1997)

A mentally unstable woman with a Jackie Kennedy obsession awaits the arrival of her twin brother during a hurricane. She becomes homicidal when he introduces his new fiancé and reveals plans to move away. The family hides secrets of incest and violence beneath a veneer of old-money wit and sophistication. This film represents the absolute peak of dysfunction where love manifests as madness and dangerous obsession.

Tell us which movie family makes you feel better about your own holiday gatherings in the comments.