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Top family movies to warm the heart this Thanksgiving

Family films to watch with yours this Thanksgiving holiday

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Fall movie scene with popcorn, fall leaves, scarf, and laptop
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Thanksgiving is all about family. It’s that warm and fuzzy time of year when the older kids might be coming home from college, or you just have time to take a breath from all the craziness of back-to-school activities, Halloween, and those time-consuming extracurriculars.

Thanksgiving weekend is ideal for cuddling up on the couch with some warm apple cider and pumpkin pie leftovers to watch a movie together. Since the holiday is all about togetherness, of course, you’ll want to enjoy movies centered around family. So, here are the best Thanksgiving movies for families that will warm the heart, make you laugh, and might even bring a tear to the eye.

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Best Thanksgiving movies for families

Family on couch watching TV
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There aren’t too many family movies appropriate for the entire household with Thanksgiving as a backdrop, but there certainly are plenty that focus on the funny and multilayered family dynamic. If you’re not quite ready to dive into the pool of holiday movies streaming on Hallmark, check out these family-centered movies this Thanksgiving weekend that are a perfect pick for the season.

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The Incredibles (2004)

The Incredibles
115m
Genre
Action, Adventure, Animation, Family
Stars
Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell
Directed by
Brad Bird
Watch on disney+
This movie about a family of superheroes never gets old. It’s a perfect pick for families with multiple ages. Even teens won’t roll their eyes at this family flick.

Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)

Mrs. Doubtfire
125m
Genre
Comedy, Drama, Family
Stars
Robin Williams, Sally Field, Lisa Jakub
Directed by
Chris Columbus
Watch on amazon
A classic from the ’90s, Mrs. Doubtfire has a stellar cast with Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Bronson, and Harvey Fierstein at their finest. The subject matter touches on something many kids deal with: divorce. You will definitely need to keep the tissue box nearby for this one.

Fly Away Home (1996)

Fly Away Home
107m
Genre
Adventure, Drama, Family
Stars
Jeff Daniels, Anna Paquin, Dana Delany
Directed by
Carroll Ballard
Watch on amazon
Another ’90s gem, Fly Away Home, is a touching film that will certainly get the tears rolling. It follows the journey of a young girl who tragically loses her mom and then must uproot her life to move to Canada to live with the dad she hardly knows. The pair bond over a nest of abandoned goose eggs as they find a different kind of family together. It won a Christopher Award for Best Family Film.

Stepmom (1998)

Stepmom
125m
Genre
Drama, Romance, Comedy
Stars
Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, Ed Harris
Directed by
Chris Columbus
Watch on amazon
If you’re looking for a family movie for tweens and teens, Stepmom is a great choice. It’s a ’90s film starring Julia Roberts, Susan Sarandon, and Ed Harris that again touches on divorce, its aftermath, and finding the joys of family again. This is another family film that will make you laugh and cry.

The Rookie (2002)

The Rookie
127m
Genre
Drama, Family
Stars
Dennis Quaid, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez
Directed by
John Lee Hancock
Watch on amazon
Sports movies are always a great pic for warming the heart, especially ones based on a true story. The Rookie takes on the story of Texas high school teacher and baseball coach Jim Morris. Morris had his shot at the MLB when he was 35, thanks to a beat with his high school team. Dennis Quad portrayed the coach who never gave up on his dream. It’s a wonderful choice for families with multiple ages since it’s rated G.

The Parent Trap (1961)

The Parent Trap
129m
Genre
Comedy, Family
Stars
Hayley Mills, Maureen O'Hara, Brian Keith
Directed by
David Swift
Watch on amazon
Whether the family watches the original Parent Trap with Hayley Mills or the remake with a young Lindsay Lohan, it will be a win-win. This funny and uplifting movie is always a must-watch for the whole family. With the long Thanksgiving weekend, watch the ’60s version first and then the remake.

Freaky Friday (1976)

Freaky Friday
95m
Genre
Fantasy, Comedy, Family
Stars
Jodie Foster, Barbara Harris, John Astin
Directed by
Gary Nelson
Watch on amazon
Imagine switching places with your mom for a day. Crazy right? Well, that’s the premise for this Disney film that has been remade several times. There is talk that the 2003 version with Jamie Lee Curtis as the mom and Lindsay Lohan as the teenage daughter will be redone again with the pair reprising their roles. It’s a silly flick that teaches an age-old lesson about understanding the challenges of parenthood and being a teen. Watch the original on Disney Plus, too, which stars a very young Jodi Foster.

Father of the Bride (1991)

Father of the Bride
105m
Genre
Comedy, Romance
Stars
Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Kimberly Williams-Paisley
Directed by
Charles Shyer
Watch on disney+
Only Murders in the Building has introduced Steve Martin and Martin Short to a whole new generation of fans. Head back to the ’90s with this classic and its sequel to laugh and cry with another tale as old as time about a father learning how to let go of his daughter as she moves into the next chapter of her life. Martin and Short are simply hysterical in both family films.

More movies for families to watch this Thanksgiving

Family watching a movie together for a family fun night
Evgeny Atamanenko / Shutterstock

If football and Black Friday shopping aren’t your thing, here are some additional family-centered movies to watch with yours this Thanksgiving weekend.

There’s always so much to do to prepare for Thanksgiving especially if you’re hosting. The long weekend, though, is also the perfect opportunity to reconnect with your family whether it’s the first time the older one has come home from college or if it’s the first break everyone has had since school started.

Watching movies together with those Thanksgiving leftovers close by is a wonderful way to spend some quality time together, especially when you’re watching family-centered movies. So, cuddle up this November with one or more of these top Thanksgiving movies for families, and don’t forget the tissues. You will need them.

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Dawn Miller
Dawn Miller
Contributor
Dawn Miller began her professional life as an elementary school teacher before returning to her first love, writing. In…
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