Your ultimate Thanksgiving weekend movie guide: A suggestion for every holiday scenario
Wondering which movies to spend your money on this Thanksgiving (as political fights and old family squabbles compete for attention with the big brined bird)? We're here for you! Behold, our viewing guide for whatever mood, or predicament, you may find yourself in.
If you're looking for one movie that every picky person will probably like: 'Lady Bird'
Seriously, this is the coming-of-age movie of 2017. Lady Bird marks the directorial debut of Greta Gerwig (Frances Ha, Mistress America), and nails what it's like for an angsty teenager (Saoirse Ronan) to rail against her mother (a stunning Laurie Metcalf) and everything she knows the year before she goes to college. Tell everyone you saw this future Oscar-worthy gem back when. Read our ***½ (out of four) review.
If Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot meeting The Flash is enough for you: 'Justice League'
If you're looking for reasons to hate on Justice League, the Internet is here for you. However, if you're a DC Comics fan who's been waiting for the onscreen collision of The Flash (Ezra Miller, who everyone agrees steals this movie), Wonder Woman (Gadot), Superman (spoiler, Henry Cavill is back), Batman (Affleck) and Aquaman (Jason Momoa), then Justice League is for you! Read our *** review.
Related: Why 'Justice League's subtle sexism made us miss 'Wonder Woman'
If you've got kids in tow, and want to experience all the feels: 'Coco'
Disney and Pixar's latest tale focuses on a young Mexican boy with a twofold mission: to grab his musical dreams and heal a familial rift. Paste BN's Brian Truitt calls Coco "Pixar’s best effort since 2015’s Inside Out," promising it will make you laugh and cry in equal doses. We recommend taking kids ages 7 and up. Read our ***½ review.
More: Everything you need to know about the cultural references in 'Coco'
If you want to see a best picture contender: 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri'
Frances McDormand is a powerhouse in Three Billboards, a dark comedy about a mother's no-holds-barred crusade to keep police focused on her daughter's rape and murder. A timely film in Hollywood and across the nation, Three Billboards has been gaining in the Oscar race, and is on track to earn nominations for both McDormand and Sam Rockwell, who plays a racist cop. Read our **** review.
If you want to stream a best picture contender: 'Mudbound'
This year, you can watch a brand-new Oscar contender from the comfort of your living room. Netflix jumps into the awards game in a big way with Mudbound, a powerful racial drama juxtaposing the struggles of black and white families working the same rural Mississippi plot of land in the Jim Crow era. The cast is stellar, including Mary J. Blige, Carey Mulligan and Jason Mitchell.
If you want to see a superhero get his groove back: 'Thor: Ragnarok'
While Thor (Chris Hemsworth) was always excellent comic relief in the Avengers franchise, he never really came into his own on his standalone films — until now. Under the direction of irreverent New Zealand director Taika Waititi, Thor: Ragnarok insists that ticket buyers have a rollicking good time while a newly shorn god of thunder bandies about saving his home planet from a cranky tyrant (Jeff Goldblum). See it and you'll leave in good humor. Read our *** review.
If you need a reminder that goodness exists in this cold, cruel world: 'Wonder'
Don't be fooled into thinking the family-friendly Wonder is a schmaltz-fest. Led by parents played by Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, the tale of a fifth grader (Jacob Tremblay) with severe facial irregularities who attempts public school for the first time will leave you on a tissue-grabbing, emotional high. Read our *** review.
Earlier: Watch Julia Roberts tearfully send her son to school in this 'Wonder' scene
If you want to see the best mustache of 2017: 'Murder on the Orient Express'
Kenneth Branagh's bushy 'stache might be the most entertaining part of this wayward Agatha Christie adaptation. A stellar cast, including Johnny Depp and Michelle Pfeiffer, wasn't enough to sway our critic, who called the film "surprisingly philosophical" for what's supposed to be a pulse-racing whodunit. Read our ** review.
If literally anything is better than listening to your dad/uncle/brother/cousin go on about their new job/girlfriend/home renovation/diet plan: 'Daddy's Home 2' or 'A Bad Moms Christmas'
Sequels are what they are (i.e., not fantastic usually and specifically here) but they'll get you out of the house, whether you're in the mood to see John Lithgow plant one on his screen son Will Ferrell or Mila Kunis deal with her semi-racist, hypercritical mom (Christine Baranski). Read our ** Bad Moms Christmas review.
Also: Parents who love too much steal holiday comedies from 'Bad Moms' and dads
If the only thing you and your family agree on is that Denzel is always good: 'Roman J. Israel, Esq.'
Critics are split over Washington's new drama, in which he plays an activist lawyer who veers off the straight and narrow path. But one thing's for sure: The Oscar winner delivers on his performance of a bespectacled legal savant whose bedside manner gets in the way of conventional success.
