November Movie Club: Thanksgiving

Hoopla is giving thanks and sharing joy

This November, Hoopla’s Movie Club is celebrating Thanksgiving with a collection of films that capture the warmth, humor, and mayhem of holiday homecomings and family feasts. When loved ones gather, bring everyone together with a movie about Thanksgiving.

We’ve created a collection of Thanksgiving movies to help you decide what to stream before your feast (and once you wake up from that post-dinner nap). Let’s start with what is, in our humble opinion, one of the top Thanksgiving-themed movies of all time: Planes, Trains and Automobiles. Two comedy legends, John Candy and Steve Martin, pair up in this movie that’s both laugh-out-loud funny and perfectly poignant. Here are a few others we are thankful for. All these movies are available to stream for free with your library card on Hoopla through Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Samsung TV, LG TV, and more. These Thanksgiving movies and more are part of Hoopla’s November Movie Club Collection.

Buddy Movies to Watch at Thanksgiving 

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) 

Neal Page (Steve Martin), a tense marketing executive, is desperate to get from New York to Chicago in time for Thanksgiving with his family. After losing a cab and having his flight diverted by a snowstorm, he ends up stranded in Wichita, Kansas. Forced to travel with Del Griffith (John Candy), a chatty and bumbling shower curtain ring salesman, Neal must endure a chaotic journey filled with frustration and unlikely companionship.

The Turkey Bowl (2019) 

A group of friends reunites to finish a high school football game that was snowed out 15 years earlier. Former quarterback Patrick Hodges (Ryan Hansen), now a Chicago businessman, returns to his hometown to lead his team in the revived “Turkey Bowl,” forcing him to face his past and reevaluate his life. 

Heartwarming Family Thanksgiving  

The Great Turkey Town Miracle (2023) 

After losing his radio job just before Thanksgiving, widowed DJ Connor McCloud (Angus Benfield) takes a position at a homeless shelter and must find 4,000 turkeys for families in need within a month. Based on a true story and inspired by the biblical loaves and fishes, Connor regains hope and faith through the encouragement of a homeless man and a caring coworker.  

Family-Themed Thanksgiving Movies 

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) 

Written and directed by Woody Allen, this lauded film follows three sisters and their extended New York family over two years, framed by Thanksgiving gatherings. Through intertwined stories of love, infidelity, and self-discovery, the film explores the seemingly perfect Hannah (Mia Farrow), her discontented husband Elliot’s affair with her sister Lee, and their insecure younger sister’s journey toward independence and fulfillment.

Pieces of April (2003) 

April Burns (Katie Holmes), the estranged “black sheep” of her family, invites them to her cramped New York apartment for Thanksgiving after learning her mother is dying of cancer. As April’s day unravels with a broken oven and chaotic neighbors, her family endures an uneasy road trip filled with tension, resentment, and reluctant hope for reconciliation. 

Thanksgiving Romance Movies

Lez Bomb (2018) 

Lauren (Jenna Laurenzo) invites her girlfriend, Hailey, to Thanksgiving, intending to come out to her quirky New Jersey family, but chaos erupts when her parents mistake her roommate, Austin, for her boyfriend, and she asks him to play along. As the lies spiral amid family mayhem and Hailey’s growing frustration, Lauren must finally confront her fears and reveal the truth. 

Funny Thing About Love (2021) 

Fashion entrepreneur Samantha Banks (Summer Bellessa) brings her boyfriend, Bryce, home for Thanksgiving, only to have her meddling family invite her ex, Luke, in hopes of rekindling their romance. As Luke and Bryce unexpectedly bond and Samantha faces a major decision about selling her company, her holiday turns into a whirlwind of career pressure, romantic confusion, and family chaos. 

Hoopla Collection of Thanksgiving Movies 

A good Thanksgiving movie is something your whole family can agree on (maybe the only thing?). We’ve created a Hoopla collection of Thanksgiving movies for our November Movie Club theme to make it simple to decide what to watch. It’s free with no waits or holds, so hop onto Hoopla and gobble up some Thanksgiving movies!