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Thanksgiving-Themed Movies For Almost Every Appetite Streaming On Netflix

By Cia Young
Published on: 16:10 PST, Nov 12, 2016

The holidays are just around the corner and Netflix is streaming a few Thanksgiving-themed movies that involve turkey day and the drama that often surrounds it. Two are comedies, one is a horror film, and another a crime drama, so whatever your tastes, it is almost certain one of the following movies will quench your entertainment appetite after a big holiday meal.

Dutch (1991)

Shot in the same vein as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, the John Hughes comedy Dutch features a unique road trip involving Dutch Dooley (Ed O’Neill) and his young charge, Doyle Standish (Ethan Embry). The pairing occurs because Dutch is dating Natalie Standish (JoBeth Williams), who is Doyle’s mother.

Her wealthy ex-husband, Reed Standish (Christopher McDonald), informs Natalie she must host Doyle, who attends a Georgia boarding school, for Thanksgiving because Reed has business to attend to in London. Doyle, a snobbish child, blames his mother for his parents’ divorce and is angry he won’t be with his father for the holidays.

Hilarity ensues as Dutch volunteers to retrieve Doyle from school and bring him back to Natalie’s Chicago home to celebrate Thanksgiving.

Amidst the tension between Dutch and Doyle, mishaps take place on the road, including a fireworks disaster, a totaled car, devious prostitutes, and aggressive security guards. In the end, Doyle confronts his father when he discovers the truth about his business trip and learns a valuable lesson about family and the holidays. Although it garnered a 3.5 out of 10 on Rotten Tomatoes, it is worth a watch.

Son in Law (1993)

One film likely not remembered as being a Thanksgiving-themed movie is the comedy Son in Law starring Pauly Shore (Encino Man, Bio-Dome), who was a hot commodity at the time the film was made. This screwball comedy involves an innocent South Dakota farm girl, Rebecca (Carla Gugino), who is a fish out of water living in a coed dorm while attending college in California. Her unusual resident advisor, Crawl (Shore), helps her adjust to this strange environment by giving her a makeover from head-to-toe after she threatens to quit school and head home. Due to her gratitude to Crawl, she invites him home to celebrate Thanksgiving on the farm.

Her family sees how much Rebecca has changed, including her boyfriend Travis (Dan Gauthier), who is planning to propose. She realizes Travis is not the man for her and encourages Crawl to give her a hand with this dilemma. Crawl, unsure of what to say, proclaims that he and Rebecca are already engaged.

Following the family’s shock at this revelation, Crawl learns the ways of the farm and Travis is dead set on getting revenge, resulting in misunderstandings, heartache, and understanding.

Kristy (2013)

If you and your relatives are not in the mood for cheery family fare on this Thanksgiving holiday, and horror is your genre of choice, Kristy is the film for you. According to IMDB, the movie Kristy was directed by Oliver Blackburn, and revolves around Justine (Haley Bennett), a college student who can’t afford to fly back home to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday, so she’s virtually left alone on campus as the rest of the student body takes leave.

It appears the only other living being on the entire campus is lone security guard Wayne (Mathew St. Patrick), who is responsible for ensuring the vast grounds are safe. When evening comes, Justine, feeling antsy, heads to the local convenience store for some junk food and there encounters a strange young woman, Violet (Ashley Greene) who calls her “Kristy.” On the return drive to her dorm, Justine notices a strange car in the road but makes it back safely to campus.

While in her dorm, Justine hears unsettling noises and suddenly becomes disconnected from the internet. Tension follows as Violet shows up, along with some masked men, resulting in a game of cat and mouse across the college campus, filled with intentional scares and unpredictability.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWLh2FeIay4

Deadfall (2012)

Like Kristy, Deadfall is not really a holiday film, but a crime drama in which its characters just want to make it to Thanksgiving dinner in one piece. The movie takes place as Jay (Charlie Hunnam) is on his way home to his parents house for the holiday after a recent release from prison. Jay is a former boxer and while in Detroit, he demands his coach pay him the money he’s owed. A fight ensues and Jay thinks he’s killed his coach in the process, so fearing he will be sent back to prison, he takes off. At the same time, Liza (Olivia Wilde), and her brother Addison (Eric Bana) are on the run in Michigan after a botched casino heist.

They part ways after a car accident and subsequent murder, causing Jay to encounter a cold and alone Liza who agrees to spend Thanksgiving with him. While out of Jay’s presence, Liza messages her brother Addison the address of Jay’s parents.

In the meantime, Addison has been involved in several violent encounters, but manages to make his way to holiday dinner where the group has an unexpected fateful encounter.

[Featured Image by 20th Century Fox]

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