“Gratitude is a divine emotion,” Charlotte Brontë wrote. “It fills the heart, but not to bursting; it warms it, but not to fever.” And while cinephiles are awash in Christmas films this time of year—either classic fare or Hallmark Channel folly—Thanksgiving has not proven as lucrative a theme for filmmakers to explore. But here are four that touch upon this festive holiday, and for which we should be grateful.
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Disgraced filmmaker Woody Allen has no career left in this country, but that shouldn’t erase his extensive and impressive work before his fall. In this classic, he centers the narrative on three New York City sisters and their entangled dramas over two Thanksgivings. The ensemble cast shines here, particularly Dianne Wiest in her Oscar-winning role as the most neurotic (and interesting) of the three siblings. Perhaps no other film in Allen’s repertoire captures an American family quite like this.
Home for the Holidays (1995)
Two-time Academy Award-winner Jodie Foster never found the same success behind the camera as she did in front of it, but this sweet little film from 1995 is an earnest effort on her part. While the story is certainly prescribed—about a funny, dysfunctional family who gather for the holidays—it’s the cast that elevates it to a level above formulaic. Led by the criminally underused Holly Hunter, but amply supported by Anne Bancroft and Robert Downey Jr., Home for Holidays celebrates how family, when we feel the most broken, can put us back together.
One True Thing (1998)
On the surface, it’s a two-tissue tearjerker about a mother and daughter who rebuild their relationship through terminal illness—and it is just that. But this holiday-tinged family portrait cuts deeper thanks to the searing performance of Meryl Streep as a mother who tries to build one last bridge to her cynical, career-driven daughter, played by an equally effective Renée Zellweger. The interplay between the two actors is at once resonant, painful, and deeply authentic.
Pieces of April (2003)
Bitterness, mistrust, illness, and healing are on the menu of writer/director Peter Hedges’ underrated gem. Katie Holmes anchors this honest and impactful drama as April, a young woman who invites her estranged family for Thanksgiving dinner, hoping to mend relationships. This is no easy task since Joy, April’s mother, played to acidic perfection by Patricia Clarkson, is on the guest list. Gritty, sarcastic, with just the right touch of melancholy, Pieces of April is a rich, satisfying cinematic meal. Dig in!
