Thanksgiving Movies: Top 4 to Watch

Once your Thanksgiving guests have their bellies full, a great way to gather the family together (and end the uncomfortable political discussion) is to watch a movie. We've put together our list of favorite Thanksgiving films to make your selection process faster.

Here they are in no particular order.

PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES (1987)

Rated: R, 93 min, Comedy

Directed by John Hughes ("Breakfast Club," "Home Alone"), it is a story about two business travelers, advertising exec Neal Page (Steve Martin) and shower-curtain-ring salesman Del Griffith (John Candy), who set off together on an odyssey of disasters after their Thanksgiving flight is grounded by snow.

The film's R-rating is attributed mainly to its profanity-laden opening scenes. This is a very funny film, and Martin and the late Candy gave nuanced performances.

PIECES OF APRIL (2003)

Rated: PG-13, 80 min, Comedy and Drama

Katie Holmes stars as the willful, rebellious April Burns, who invites her estranged family to her place for Thanksgiving when she discovers her mother (Patricia Clarkson) is dying. What a set-up it is for a family re-union — April, an inexperienced cook, running into kitchen problems; the family struggling to get into her apartment. The beauty of this film, directed by Peter Hedges, lies in its multi-dimensional creativity and the sensitivity and sentiments of its ending.

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS (1986)

Rated: PG-13, 103 min, Comedy and Drama

As one of Woody Allen's most sophisticated romantic comedies, "Hannah and Her Sisters" is set between two Thanksgivings two years apart. It is a tale about an artistic family and the intertwined lives of three sisters: Hannah (Mia Farrow), Lee (Barbara Hershey), and Holly (Dianne Wiest). Subplots of infidelities, secrets, and loves create a fascinating twist for giving thanks.

THE ICE STORM (1997)

Rated: R, 112 min, Drama

Ang Lee's breakthrough film, "The Ice Storm," is a film adaptation of Rick Moody's novel of the same title. A drama set in 1973 during the Thanksgiving weekend, it relates the story of parents and their teenage children experimenting with casual sex and substance abuse. It may be a downer, but it's a brilliant film!

-Movies selected by Patch movie critic Beau Behan