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5 Thanksgiving movies to make your holiday

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) photo Katie Holmes stars as April Burns in the Peter Hedges comedy 'Pieces of April.'

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By Alexis Larsen, Staff Writer Updated 6:33 PM Thursday, November 17, 2011

Looking to relax at home over the holidays? Need a good movie recommendation? Here are our five favorite Thanksgiving movies, out now on DVD, that are worth considering.

1. Home for the Holidays

Jodie Foster directs this laugh-out-loud Thanksgiving Day ode to familial dysfunction. Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr. and Anne Bancroft helm the ensemble cast. We’re not going to spoil this overlooked cinematic gem for you except to say that your family will be looking a whole lot better after watching. And isn’t that the greatest gift of all?

2. Pieces of April

What is it about Thanksgiving Day that brings out the crazy? “Pieces of April” stars Katie Holmes (a.k.a. Mrs. Tom Cruise) as a young woman who attempts to reconnect with her family by inviting them to Thanksgiving dinner at her Lower East Side New York apartment. Another film that will likely have you feeling better about your kin.

3. Planes, Trains and Automobiles

Steve Martin stars as a man desperate to make it back home in time to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family. Weather woes, transportation issues and an annoying (but loveable) shower-curtain-ring salesman, played by the great John Candy, all stand in his way. A 1987 classic with a big heart from the recently departed John Hughes.

4. Miracle on 34th Street

Yes this is a Christmas classic, but the film actually starts out with Susan Walker watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. If you’re looking to get in the spirit of the next big holiday, here’s your chance.

5. Hannah and Her Sisters

This 1986 Woody Allen offering is a more complicated, intense option. The film documents several Thanksgiving celebrations of three unsettled sisters and their families. New York serves as the backdrop to the script, which won Allen an Oscar. If you don’t mind ups and downs and especially Woody Allen, this may be the Thanksgiving Day movie for you.

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