The Thanksgiving weekend streaming list you didn’t know you needed

During a recent Slack convo, Inquirer Features editors and reporters rattled off their top picks for cozy, at-home movie-watching. From rom-coms and holiday classics, to transportive animation and sun-dappled wish-fulfillment, these are the 20 films they’d stream over the long Thanksgiving weekend. (Plus, an extra more movie choice, because Philly.)

Let’s start with a classic. “Holidays always depress me.” Charlie Brown starts off his brooding early in the holiday special. Then things get really weird and dark, really quick. But, there is a happy ending with friends who double up as family. Vince Guaraldi’s jazz score is the perfect autumnal soundtrack.

Watch it on Apple TV.

Another classic, this Steve Martin and John Candy-starrer is about people trying to get home in time for Thanksgiving dinner, and meeting every hurdle there is to meet on the way. It all ends well at the dinner table, with family and new friends.

Watch it on Apple TV.

On Thanksgiving Day, 1976, Canadian American rock group The Band played their lavish last concert at San Francisco’s Winterland Ballroom. Martin Scorsese filmed it and the resulting documentary, The Last Waltz, is lauded as one of the best concert films ever, complete with performances by Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters, Neil Young, and more.

Watch it on Apple TV.

A story about going on an adventure, meeting new friends, and then finding one’s way back home. What could be a better watch with a side of hot chocolate? Perfect if you’re looking to introduce a new generation of kiddos to the wonders of Oz.

Watch it on TNT, TBS, HBO Max.

If you’re driving to see family, be careful of the shortcuts you take. You might just enter a magical world, like Chihiro in the Miyazaki classic, Spirited Away. If you’re yet to be initiated into the world of Studio Ghibli, this is an excellent starting point.

Watch it on Amazon Prime.

Tune in as a cricket team in colonial India takes on the British in a revolt over rising taxes. Maybe this is the year you sit and learn the rules of cricket. If sport isn’t quite your cup of tea, watch the Hindi film for its exquisite soundtrack by Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman.

Watch it on Netflix.

Instead of sports, maybe you want to brush up on your English novels? Follow Elizabeth Bennet as she falls in and outof (and then in again) love with Mr. Darcy. There are several adaptations (ahem, Colin Firth), but we strongly recommend the 2005 version.

Watch it on Amazon Prime.

Another novel-to-movie adaptation that is an absolute favorite. While some of us fought over whether Jo or Amy were in the right, we still decided that Greta Gerwig’s modern version is our go-to. Watch it with your siblings and don’t forget the tissues.

Watch it on YouTube.

With the dipping temperatures, who wouldn’t want to want to run away to sunny Tuscany and soak in the romance? At least, with this winsome Diane Lane-led film, you can do so vicariously.

Watch on Paramount Plus.

Take another vicarious vacation with Queen Latifah in one of her most charming roles as Georgia Byrd, an unassuming New Orleans salesperson who wants to be a chef. After a mistaken diagnosis causes her to rethink her life, Byrd finds herself winning friends and influencing people in a luxe Euro mountainside hotel, and we’re all the better for it.

Watch it on Amazon Prime.

Five dogs make their way to Philadelphia to compete in the Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show, along with their humans and litany of trainers and handlers. Watch the mockumentary with your pets so they feel thankful for having you in their lives. (The Inquirer went to this year’s real National Dog Show, hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and held annually the weekend before Thanksgiving. Read our story and see our photos at inquirer.com/dogshow.)

Watch Best in Show on Showtime.

» READ MORE: Five things to know if you go to the National Dog Show (yes, you can boop the floofs)

What’s a holiday season binge without a rom-com? With this one, live through the travails of having to navigate the season while being single but then, settle nicely into a happily ever after.

Watch it on Netflix.

We’re throwing in another rom-com for good measure. Watch exes Ali Wong and Randall Park reunite for a messy-but-cute relationship. Very real and very feel good, for those who like their rom-coms with a dose of practicality.

Watch it on Netflix.

So you can be thankful you no longer work that job you hated or that your boss isn’t Miranda Priestly.

Watch it on Peacock.

It’s Thanksgiving so there has to be something about food on this list. Join trainee witch Kiki as she works in a bakery, jumps onto a broomstick to deliver cats and other goods, and finds herself along the way. Another Studio Ghibli classic.

Watch it on YouTube.

The film is an adaptation of the 1967 folk song “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” by Arlo Guthrie, who also stars in the film. A series of events surrounding post-Thanksgiving dinner garbage disposal forms the core of the film. Make sure to clean up before you sit down for this.

Watch on Amazon Prime.

Your family maybe kooky, but they’re definitely not altogether ooky. Gather around a small screen with them and get ready for some values education from the Addams, and be prepared for some macabre laughs.

Watch it on Netflix.

Single during the holiday season? Worry not, the patron saint of singledom, Bridget Jones, never disappoints. You’ll be thankful that at least, you’re not eating blue soup.

Watch it on Amazon Prime.

The perfect Friendsgiving watch. Best enjoyed with friends who are more than family. Don’t miss a very young Adam Driver trying to date Frances but failing.

Watch it on YouTube.

It’s never too early to get started on your Christmas viewing list, and what better day to make an auspicious beginning? Join Pee-wee, Little Richard, Magic Johnson, and the Playhouse as they gear up to celebrate and receive gifts from Santa. Watch Grace Jones emerge from a box meant to be delivered to the White House. Suitable for viewers aged 2-102.

Watch it on iTunes.

Who are we kidding? All the Rocky films are meant to be watched all through the year, so don’t let Thanksgiving be an exception.

Start with the 1976 OG and then climb your way up, starting here.