22 Family Movies Not To Watch With Your Family On Thanksgiving

Courtesy of New Line Cinema.

Little Children

This steamy adaptation deals with some heavy stuff, and is pretty much a tried and true drama. But because of the physical scale of the film- we’re dealing in a sleepy, suburban town- it feels like an intimate invitation into the lives of these characters rather than a sprawling, romantic narrative epic. We meet Sarah and Brad, both in marriages that are varying shades of unfulfilling, both with small children, and both longing for much more but unsure of exactly what. This exploration of small-town desperation, the loss of personal identity within marriages, the fear of settling for an unsatisfying life, and the secrets of new parents whose dreams, thoughts, feelings, urges, and lives matter just as much as their titles of Mom & Dad is both stunning and unsettling. The way oppressive gender roles, the pressure to perform suburban perfection, and the seeming impossibility of living a wholly gratifying and commendable life are portrayed will leave you with tons of questions about your own parents’ young adulthoods, and just as many fears about your own future.

Especially avoid if: You have (understandable) moral qualms that prevent you from being able to temporarily sidestep portrayals of infidelity, sexual perversion, and even pedophilia for the purpose of understanding the human beings, and their motives, behind the offenses.