10 films to watch at Thanksgiving
Go-to films for a cozy, lazy long weekend (and they'll make you feel thankful too)
It’s almost Canadian Thanksgiving (which falls the second Monday in October).
The long weekend makes room for time with family and friends, good food, sweaters, walks, coffee. Maybe even some outdoor activities. And of course, it’s a great time for movies.
To save you time on the dreaded, aimless search for content across streaming platforms, I thought I'd help out with some recommendations.
The selections below are great Sunday afternoon films.1 These films may start in the background of household activity, but by the 40 minute mark, everyone’s wandered into the room to watch along with you.
You’ll notice there are no Christmas films here. Canadian Thanksgiving falls so early (even before Halloween) that it’s too early to start up the Christmas content (which I think makes most sense after Black Friday).
Whether you celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving or not, the good news is you can watch these films anywhere in the world, and they’ll bring some feel-good thankfulness into your life.
10 feel-good films to watch at Thanksgiving
(in alphabetical order):
Amazing Grace
Where to watch: Apple TV | Or come on over, I have the DVD
I love this film. It tells the story of William Wilberforce and his journey from businessman, to Member of Parliament, to reluctant justice advocate, to the long-suffering champion of abolishing the transatlantic slave trade.
With humour, romance, thoughtful dialogue, and fantastic performances, it’s a well-made film by the late, great Michael Apted that doesn’t get overly sentimental about the historical figure. It aptly highlights some of the political and personal consequences of a social movement that now seems obvious, but at the time was not—a movement whose movers still have things to teach us today.
About Time
Where to watch: Rentable on all the streaming platforms (one of the only films I’ve purchased for keeps on YouTube).
This is a go-to film for me, that has become even more beloved since the passing of my father. It’s a film about sons and fathers and love and marriage and family and dreams wrapped up in a in-and-out-of-time travel narrative.
It has a number of elements that make any romantic comedy successful: a quirky plot line, British accents, and Rachel McAdams.
When he’s 21 years old, Tim (played by Domhnall Gleeson) discovers he can travel in time and change what happens and has happened in his own life. Awkward at love, when he meets Mary (McAdams) his whole past and future hinges on the relationship. And it’s what he learns about fatherhood, both as a son and as a young dad, that becomes a lesson for us all about the bittersweet beauty of life in time.
Even if you’re not a crier in movies, this will put your stoic, even stubborn emotional resistance to the the test.
Babette’s Feast
Where to watch: Rent on Apple TV
If you ever find a list put out by faith-and-film focused publications, you’ll run into this film. Babette’s Feast was always showing up and haunting me when I’d read best-of lists. It premiered at Cannes in 1987 and is the first Danish film to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
The film is a slow-moving drama about a French woman exiled to a Danish community led by two sisters who shepherd a Christian sect. Babette spends her fortune to create a feast for the community, an act of unmerited grace. An act the frustratingly religious community is determined not to enjoy.
But such wasteful generosity can’t be ignored by even the coldest heart. Babette has an epic line that the film’s power hinges on. I had some doubts until that point.
I won’t ruin it for you, so go watch it, but this is an example of a film that must be watched end-to-end to appreciate it’s powers. And the payload gets delivered. You’re left with a farm-to-table-sized parable to chew on. Don’t watch it to be entertained. Watch it to be changed.
The Interpreter
Where to watch it: Prime
There are so many things I want to say about this film. Not the least being that Sean Penn’s character will always, inevitably, and happily remind me of my sweet cousin Dave. His face. His language. His style. His hair. Somehow it all ads up.
The dialogue-driven drama is set at the UN and espouses its ideals. Gratifyingly, the characters collide with the reality of just how short states, leaders, and our own selves fall in meeting those values.
Synopsis: Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is at the United Nations when she overhears what she believes is a plan to assassinate the president of Matobo, Edmond Zuwanie (Earl Cameron). When she alerts the authorities, Secret Service agents Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) and Dot Woods (Catherine Keener) are assigned to the case. It's not long before they decide that Silvia herself is a suspect, having formerly been involved with both a guerrilla group in Matobo and the president's chief opponent.
Catherine Keener steals every scene she is in, and I think it’s one of Nicole Kidman’s best roles. Legend also has it that the production was green lit without a script, and that each day of production new pages were handed to the actors. Which is hard to believe, but amazing if true.
Marcel the Shell with Shoes On
Where to watch: Prime
Perhaps not since Jurassic Park or the Matrix have I been so dazzled or surprised by a film. I watched it on an airplane and was completely won over into the world of this little talking shell.
Synopsis: Marcel is an adorable one-inch-tall shell who ekes out a colourful existence with his grandmother Connie and their pet lint, Alan. Once part of a sprawling community of shells, they now live alone as the sole survivors of a mysterious tragedy.
The Oscar-nominated film is full of heart. It’s moving, it’s delightful, it’s funny, it’s pertinent, it’s bizarre. And it will make you look at the world with wonder, fall in love with film, and make you thankful for the creativity all around you in the world.
Peter Rabbit
Where to watch: Netflix
This movie was a total surprise to me. As a parent of young kids, it’s rare that a film the kids watch is one that I enjoy. Peter Rabbit is an exception to that sad and terrible rule.
Voiced by James Cordon, Peter is a cheeky, hilarious rodent with a chip on his shoulder and a quirky community around him. It’s, of course, based on the beloved books by Beatrix Potter, and serves as an imagined origin story of sorts to the inception of the books.
From the moment the fluttering flock of birds encounter an unexpected, slapstick misfortune in the opening credits, you realize you’re in for a treat. As a family we laughed out loud together and, to this day, still quote lines from the film (especially “It’s a bit matchy-matchy”).
The Sea Beast
Where to watch: Netflix
Apparently there is more than one exception to my sad and terrible rule (see above), and the alphabetical nature of this list truly underscores the fact. Sea Beast is another wonderful film for the whole family (that parents can enjoy, too).
Synopsis: When a young girl stows away on the ship of a legendary sea monster hunter, they launch an epic journey into uncharted waters - and make history to boot.
My son, Will, watched it so many times, I had to see what it was all about. And it became a family movie night staple. I learned after viewing it that it became the most-successful Netflix original animated film, with 165 million hours viewed over its first five months of release and that the film earned a Best Animated Feature at the 95th Academy Awards.
Written and directed by Chris Williams, it’s visually stunning. I can’t wait for the sequel (which is in pre-production).
She Has A Name
Where to watch: UnveilTV | Amazon Prime | YouTube
You may be thinking: Wow, Andrew, this is not only a shameless plug (because you wrote the film) but a little bit pretentious. You think your film stands up against all of these?
Hear me out. I’m not suggesting this is the number one film of all time. But it is the number one film that makes me thankful.
I wrote the film. It was my screenwriting debut. It was based on the stage play of the same name (which toured Canada over a decade ago). Bringing this film to screens was the culmination of so many dreams, prayers, so much hard work, and it all came from the cry of the heart to see justice in the world for victims of human trafficking.
This film makes me thankful because of the totality of the experience. Through the process I found my feet as a playwright and learned so much as a screenwriter and producer.
Because of the film I met so many incredible people in all sectors of society who want to stand up to injustice. And I met survivors of human trafficking in Canada and in south east Asia who are the bravest, strongest, and some of the most inspiring people I’ve ever met.
It was surreal to see something that I created come to life. Employ other creatives and give them opportunity. And to be in a theatre with an audience, whether on Parliament, in my hometown, with schools, with a general audience or at a film festival, or with a non-profit organization leveraging it for awareness. Witnessing the last line of the story land with an audience never gets old, nor do the conversations about 18 and Mae and the other characters that result after screenings.
In the making of this film, I’ve never prayed so hard, especially when we faced off against the Thai government’s film commission (which you can see unfold in our behind the scenes doc) a tense few days that almost shut the production down. Through the process of stage to screen I met my wife and created a home (we were connected because of this story).
Making art is an act of faith and this leap changed my whole entire life. Some context, if you ever watch it.
We Bought a Zoo
Where to watch it: Disney+
We Bought a Zoo is another feel-good family film that runs you through a whole world of emotion. Set in Southern California, a widowed father (played by Matt Damon) moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.
It’s an impossible task that, perhaps, makes the conquest of overcoming grief possible. But even as Damon’s character has a renewed purpose, his son seems to slip away.
Maggie Elizabeth Jones, who plays the young daughter, nearly steals the show. But so do the animals and a wonderful supporting cast. This is another film that has huge payoff at the end when, in a flashback to the moment he meets the love of his life, Matt Damon’s character finally finds a way to reconnect with his son through the story of one moment of courage that changed his life forever.
Make sure there’s kleenex or something to hide behind if you don’t like fellow filmgoers to see your waterworks.
Young Woman and the Sea
Where to watch: Disney+
I wrote about this a while back in a 3 Things feature. It’s the kind of sweater-weather, human triumph drama that is perfect for a cozy afternoon.
The film tells the story of Trudy Ederle who in 1926 became the first woman to swim across the English Channel, beating the men’s record by 1 hour 59 minutes. It’s a hero’s journey as the young Trudy fights measles (which nearly claimed her life and later in adulthood renders her deaf), the stereotypes of the day, and every odd against her to accomplish one of sport’s greatest feats.
When Ederle returned to New York City, it was to a hero’s welcome. The ticker tape parade to celebrate her was the biggest gathering of people on streets to this day. Millions, including Babe Ruth and the Yankees celebrated her achievement.
The film stars Daisy Ridley who is excellent in the role of the woman who, before Serena or Caitlyn, became the most famous athlete in the world.
I hope you enjoyed this list of films that work perfectly on a (Canadian) Thanksgiving long weekend.
Drop a note to let me know if you agree, disagree, or to leave a recommendation of your own!
Think: A cozy living room. The evening is still ahead. You want to be lazy and lounge-y. Some of the older kids are throwing the football outdoors, some of the younger kids are playing LEGO or too quiet and up to something downstairs. There’s a puzzle on the table that a few cousins are picking away at.