The good and proper Thursday celebration of our systematic genocide of the Wampanoag peoples should rightfully include three vital elements of the tradition: the dejected shuffle of the defeated Detroit Lions; awkward (and inebriated) familial maneuverings; and the post-poultry, tryptophaned recline into Thanksgiving Day cinema.
If Alone in the Dark had its way, there would be a mandatory scheduled run of the brilliant "first-contact" Terrance Malick epic The New World to serve as a beautifully crafted, post-colonialist digestif.
Our Essential Top Five list denotes a clear objective: firstly, that the films must be a selection of the best American cinema that uniquely blends this most American of holidays into the narrative or theme; and secondly, no easy deferrals to the most nostalgically saccharin of the Turkey-canon fluff films- no matter how poignant we find Del Griffith's subway bench pathos.
Indeed, a great Thanksgiving film should mirror the Day itself in an examination and rumination of our most basic human tragedy- the careful negotiations round the pitfalls and precipices of towering familial dysfunction. With alcohol.
#5: House of Yes (1997) Dir. Mark Waters
This quirky and sharp adaptation of Wendy MacLeod's more quirky and sharp play clearly succeeds better on the stage- yet this charming cautionary tale of American suburban dysfunction is worth viewing if only for the stand-alone bravado of Parker Posey's singularly daring and splendid performance.
#4: Pieces of April (2003) Dir. Peter Hedges
Screenwriter and novelist Peter Hedges took the Sundance chic by storm with his amazingly modern and fresh take on the oldest of Thanksgiving cliches- the reunion of the long-absent and dysfunctional family. His amazing film debut proved a thought-provoking and expertly acted template for the other legion of quietly underrated indie darling hits to follow. Pieces of April proved two inescapable facts- that a film without a budget can be amazingly effective if the script and performance are of the highest order, and, perhaps most surprisingly, that Katie Holmes really can act.
#3: Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) Dir. Woody Allen
A masterpiece of humanity, family, and the complexity of the construction of our relationships. This literate and eloquent comedy never feels coerced or constructed- it is (like love and family) all to heart-wrenchingly real.
#2: The Ice Storm (1997) Dir. Ang Lee
Ang Lee's hauntingly disturbing take of Rick Moody's brilliant novel of the same name transposes Shakespearean tragedy to the wealthy Connecticut clans who, despite a most noble facade, teeter perilously near ruin. This film is a subtle masterpiece of superior acting with shockingly nuanced performances. Moody's novel treads familial tragedies of Updikean proportions, with the stillness and muted undertones of dignity that only Lee seems best to portray.
#1: Nobody's Fool (1994) Dir. Robert Benton
The meditations on family, life, and growing old never seemed so gritty, authentic, or quietly subdued than the endearing adaptation of Richard Russo's novel. Less a film than a nuanced character study, Paul Newman delivers perhaps his finest performance amid a score of equally amazing turns by Bruce Willis, Phillip Hoffman, Jessica Tandy, and the surprising Pruitt Taylor Vince. Simply a Masterpiece.
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