8 Movies to Keep the Peace at Thanksgiving
I was originally going to write this post with a more sarcastic angle around awkward family gatherings during the holidays. Think something along the lines of: “Sexist uncle visiting? Try putting The Woman King on after dessert!”
But then I came to my senses and realized that the last thing anyone needs these days in more division. So instead, I’m going to try my best to recommend movies that will bring people together.
If you need to keep the drama to a minimum over the long holiday weekend, pop in one of these 8 movies:
Top Gun: Maverick – The only arguing there’ll be over this action-packed, top-grossing sequel is whether it’s better than the original. (In my humble opinion, it is.) Or if Tom Cruise somehow looks even more badass now than he did in the ‘80s. (In my humble opinion, he does.)
Elvis – Your older relatives can regale you with tales of having lived during Elvis’s heyday and the events of this biopic. The younger family members can enjoy the music and have a good laugh at what used to be considered scandalous back in the day.
Downton Abbey: A New Era – Whether you were fans of the beloved PBS series or not, while watching this big-screen adaptation your family will agree on one thing: you’re glad you don’t have to dress as fancy and uncomfortable as they did in the 1920s.
Creed – Those who were around from 1976 to 1985 for the first four Rocky films will probably have a deeper appreciate for retired boxer Rocky Balboa’s (Sylvester Stallone) continuing story, as in Creed he trains his old frenemy Apollo Creed’s son Adonis. But even if you know none of the backstory, you’ll be sucked into this crowd-pleaser that earned Stallone an Oscar nomination.
Spider-Man: No Way Home – (Slight spoiler ahead… ) No matter which Spider-Man your various family members preferred over the past 20 years, everyone will be happy because Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield and Tom Holland are all in this one!
Jurassic Park – No offense to Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard, but there’s still something magical about that very first visit to Isla Nublar that gives the original 1990 film an edge over the 5 that came after it. Can you think of one person you know who doesn’t like this movie? No. You can’t.
Fatherhood – What can melt hearts more a touching true story? In this adaptation of the nonfiction best-seller “Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love” by Matthew Logelin, Kevin Hart plays the author, whose wife died shortly after childbirth, leaving him to raise their new daughter alone. Your uptight aunt will be asking you to pass the tissues in no time.
The Mitchells vs the Machines – And finally we have this charming, funny and moving animated tale about a dysfunctional family (is there any other kind?) that must save the world from a robot uprising. I loved its many timely lessons—including how we probably all need to put our devices down and reconnect with each other more than we currently do. What better message to remind everyone of when we all have a few days to relax and recharge?
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!