MOVIE REVIEW #3 - THE THANKSGIVING HOUSE

 MOVIE REVIEW #3 - The Thanksgiving House

I have seen a lot of complaints on facebook, and buzzfeed, and twitter (I really don’t understand twitter) about how the Christmas Season is expanding and how horrible and materialistic this trend is, fine, whatever. 

With my birthday being in November, I consider the Birthday/Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year/ Season to just be the world’s way of thanking me for being here. However I will acquiesce to those who think that Christmas is coming to early and review a Thanksgiving movie – The Thanksgiving House.

Thanksgiving movies are far more rare than the multitude of Christmas movies, and generally are always about rebuilding or reuniting family and there is almost always some kind of sadness. I understand this as I have always found Thanksgiving to be bittersweet. It celebrates the past year and the harvest and our blessings; but it also is a sign post to the end of the year. The trees are becoming bare, the skies are grey and the passing of time becomes more apparent. Thanksgiving is the somber sibling to Christmas and New Years and accordingly the movies made about Thanksgiving tend to be somber as well. The Thanksgiving House is a perfect example.

The plot is pretty simple: An emotionally distant Boston lawyer (Mary Ross played by Emily Rose) inherits a house in Plymouth from her recently deceased Aunt. Unbeknownst to her the house may have historical value as the site of the first Thanksgiving. This pits Mary and her unscrupulous boyfriend (who want to sell the house) against a local knight in shining armor/high school science teacher who is weirdly obsessed with thanksgiving and wants the house to be a historic site. Throw in the knight in shining armor’s overly charming parents, a local gossip blogger and some estranged family drama and you have a plot that will pull your heart strings.

Overall this is a pretty good film. It is warm and sweet but not so gooey that you feel your teeth ache. There are a few laughs, and the romance is believable. If you have a cold November Saturday to waste, this movie is a good choice.  

CRY TIME - 60 minutes (I didn't really but it did make me want to have turkey and pumpkin pie and hug my nieces and nephews) Edited Cry Time - 1:55 minutes - reconciliation with estranged family members always worth some tears!

Turkey Rating - 4 out of 5