Like cranberry sauce and tryptophan, sitting down to a movie on Thanksgiving is tradition. But unlike Christmas, the recipe for a “Thanksgiving movie” is loosely defined. Christmas movies, whether they’re made by Hallmark or Frank Capra or John McTiernan, tick certain boxes: gift giving, some flavor of Santa Claus, miracles . Thanksgiving movies are harder to pin down, by definition domestic in both their setting and the holiday’s origins. When was the last time Hollywood produced a classic Turkey Day movie? You’d think the holiday would inspire some memorable films beyond Planes, Trains and Automobiles , Pieces of April , and Hannah and Her Sisters . So we posed a question to several filmmakers and Hollywood friends this week: Why are Thanksgiving movies not a thing?

The answers

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