There are Two Must See Thanksgiving Movies and One You Shouldn’t

There are hundreds of Christmas movies. And a lot of movies that aren't Christmas movies but people still lump them in any way, like Die Hard. But unless you have already seen them or remembered that they were Thanksgiving movies, you'd probably not think of these.

And little did I know these are both John Hughes movies.

Planes, Trains & Automobiles came out on November 30, 1987, and was a uniquely dramatic comedy. Steve Martin and John Candy play a pair of holiday travelers trying to get home for Thanksgiving. Martin's Neal Page is plagued by the endless irritation of Del Griffith, played by Candy.

The movie is full of memorable moments. Having not seen it in many years, I can recall:

"Train don't run out of Wichita... unlessin' you're a hog or a cattle. People train runs outta Stubbville."

"Where's your other hand?" "Between two pillows." "THOSE AREN'T PILLOWS!"

Of course, it's hard to forget Steve Martin's F-bomb laced scene at the rental car counter with Edie McClurg.

The movie, like most of John Hughes' movies, has a heart at the end. It doesn't disappoint.

The other Thanksgiving movie you should see is Dutch. Unlike Planes, Trains & Automobiles, Dutch came out in the middle of summer in 1991. It was not a huge theatrical hit, only making $4.6 million at the box office with a budget of $17 million, it was a huge flop financially.

However, I first saw it on HBO and it has shown up on TV from time to time and every time it does I watch it. It's funny, serious, heartwarming, and Ethan Embry's rich kid brat character is infuriating, but as you would imagine, Ed O'Neil's Dutch character brings him around.

The one Thanksgiving movie you shouldn't watch is Son in Law. Yes, it takes place in South Dakota, but it wasn't filmed here so who cares. It's Encino Man on the farm. You aren't missing anything if you skip it.