Thanksgiving Movies: What To Bother Taking The Fam...

Every year when I come home for Thanksgiving, my dad is ready to go to the movies. He's the kind of guy who only makes it to the theater a few times a year, but without fail, as soon as he has all his kids under one roof, slipping into a tryptophan coma, he's ready for the big screen.

And let's face it-- everyone wants to go to the movies on Thanksgiving. You've spent the whole day making conversation with random relatives, and maybe even spent the day before cooking for hours. If you had to brave the airports on Wednesday, forget it-- you'll need all the energy you have left to make it back home. After you've eaten your fill and spent the entire afternoon on the couch, you're ready to get out of the house, and moviegoing is about as much effort as you can deal with.

And the studios know this. Even as far as back as Toy Story's release in 1995, the day before Thanksgiving, this is a holiday that's been filled with family-friendly comedies and PG-13 action movies as much as cranberries and stuffing. Yeah, a lot of the big movies this time of year have been Christmas-themed-- How the Grinch Stole Christmas debuted the weekend before Thanksgiving in 2000, and Elf and Fred Claus came a little earlier in the month in their respective years. But for me the Thanksgiving movie is all about the broad entertainment-- that rare movie that you can take pretty much anyone to. We don't get many of those a year, but this Thanksgiving, there are actually a lot of options.

Below we've got a list of your options for Thanksgiving movies this year, and who you can take to see them-- or why you shouldn't bother. And if you had success taking you and yours to a Thanksgiving movie in the past, we'll compare this year's crop to see what comes closest. No, there aren't any singing fairy princesses this year, but there is Hugh Jackman with a whip!
When you can't leave the small ones at home: Bolt.
It's the best-reviewed of the two animated movies in theaters right now, but not nearly the most successful-- Bolt needs your help! And because it's a Pixar product, at least in part, it's PG-rated entertainment that won't drive the grown-ups crazy. Maybe not your best option if everyone crashing your house for the weekend is older than 13, but there have been Thanksgivings with way, way worse options.
Best for: Your, your cousins, your cousin's kid, your grandma, everyone.
Kind like that time you all saw...: Toy Story, which came out the day before Thanksgiving in 1995.



When everyone wants a little action to keep them awake: Quantum of Solace.
Sure, the plot of the latest Bond movie is hard to follow. But it's low on sex and blood, and big on fast, exciting action that will keep you engaged-- even if you have no idea what's going. But you'll have your defenses down after all that turkey anyway, so why not just relax and sink into Daniel Craig's blue, blue eyes.
Best for: Families with a lot of guys, or a lot of teenagers.
Kind of like that time you all saw...: Casino Royale two years ago, for starters. Or Golden Eye in 1995, or The World is Not Enough in 1999-- though we'd probably all prefer to just remember Casino Royale.