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Movie recommendations: figure out what to see — in theaters or on streaming — with our handy flowchart

Sixty possible picks for one of the biggest moviegoing weekends of the year.

This family followed* our movie recommendations, and look how happy they are! (*Not actually true.)
This family followed* our movie recommendations, and look how happy they are! (*Not actually true.)
This family followed* our movie recommendations, and look how happy they are! (*Not actually true.)
| dotshock/Shutterstock.com
Emily St. James
Emily St. James was a senior correspondent for Vox, covering American identities. Before she joined Vox in 2014, she was the first TV editor of the A.V. Club.

If you're like millions of Americans, Thanksgiving is a time to watch movies.

Sure, you'll have the big dinner. And, yeah, you might check out a Black Friday sale or two. But this is one of the biggest moviegoing weekends of the year for a reason: When you get that many family members together and need something to do, there are few things that will appease everybody as quickly as a good movie. Whether you're leaving the house or staying put on your couch, a movie is a great way to entertain everyone and maybe — just maybe — have conversations that don't end in all-out family war.

The hard part, of course, is picking one. Both your local multiplex and whatever streaming service(s) you happen to subscribe to offer a huge number of options, and choices lead to family arguments.

We're here to help. We've curated a selection of 60 films — 12 that are currently in theaters, plus 12 each from the four largest streaming services — and organized them in handy flowchart form. If you really need to find a movie to see, these come hand-picked and highly touted. (If you want to watch a scary movie, go here.)

Soldier onward, Thanksgiving friends. We are on your side.


Editor: Jen Trolio
Copy editor: Tanya Pai

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