Lazy Movie Weekend: Movies to Be Thankful For

Happy Everyone Goes Crazy and Buys Stuff They Probably Don't Need Which Will Probably Be on Sale Later So Why Did You Get Up So Early Day! That really doesn't roll off the tongue as well as Black Friday. If you did brave the stores and the lines today, I hope you found that television or hot toy of the year or whatever it was that you ventured out into the fray to purchase today. I also hope you were nice to the clerks and the other people in the stores; I really don't want to see anyone I know in some horrible "When Shoppers Attack" video online later today. Let's all try to get along.

I don't participate in Black Friday shopping. I'm not a huge shopper to begin with and I don't like crowded malls or Targets all that much. Any Christmas shopping I'm doing this year will be done at the NMWA museum shop, a few local stores, and the DC Holiday Market. I'll probably get a few things online and I'm making some gifts this year. No need to rush out today to shop. Instead, I'm going to spend the rest of today and parts of tomorrow and Sunday watching some of my favorite movies and enjoying Thanksgiving leftovers. In honor of my second favorite holiday, I've put together a little "Movies to Be Thankful For" movie marathon. Some are more recent releases; others are classics or movies I've featured in a past Lazy Movie Weekend post. So grab a turkey sandwich, maybe some pie, and settle in for this marathon.

1. Home for the Holidays (1995) - By far the best movie about Thanksgiving there is, Home for the Holidays is a 1990s movie treat, featuring Holly Hunter, a pre-Ironman Robert Downey, Jr., Claire Danes at peak My So-Called Life fame, and Mrs. Robinson herself, Anne Bancroft. Let's not forget Charles Durning (a national treasure) and of course, Steve Guttenberg. Please pause to reflect on the fact that at one point in our collective history, Steve Guttenberg was a sex symbol. Just let that sink in. Holly Hunter plays Claudia Larson, who's Thanksgiving holiday has gone from bad (losing her job before the holiday) to worse (her fashionable coat is stolen, her mother is a little maudlin, her sister is awful, and a turkey gets dropped on someone) as she journeys home for the holidays. I can never decide if Anne Bancroft is my favorite part of this movie or if the collective crazy that is Larson family is what makes this whole thing work. I aspire to be Aunt Glady one day.
2. Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 (2017) - I'm a big fan of the first Guardians movie as well, but there's something about the second movie that makes me thankful for superhero movies that both does and doesn't take itself seriously. The sequel is about family and how it doesn't necessarily have to mean people you're related to especially when your dad is a shady dude named Ego. We're also treated to one of the greatest characters of the last few years, Baby Groot. Adult Groot stole most of the first Guardians movie with his odd humanity and his bond with Rocket. But Baby Groot is a completely different story. There's a part towards the end of the movie where Gamora is holding him and he reaches out for Drax like a baby would reach for a parent. So cute. Vin Diesel voices Groot in both films, which is both genius and unexpected. It also leads us to our third entry on this list...
3. Action movies made in the early 2000s featuring Vin Diesel and his arms - Look, we can pretend that we went to see XXX, The Chronicles of Riddick, The Fast and the Furious, and The Pacifier because they all looked like fun, action-packed movies that would entertain us for an hour/hour and a half. This is a lie. Tell the truth; it was because of Vin Diesel's arms. I would start with XXX because it's the most ridiculous of this group of movies. 
4. You've Got Mail (1998) - I will watch this movie anytime it's on television. I can't help myself. It's charming and sometimes, I need a movie that isn't serious or is going to make me regret my life choices or something equally dramatic. I want charming and this movie fulfills that order for me. Technically, it was the first Lazy Movie Weekend post here on the Island. I wouldn't come up with the theme until a few months later when I rewatched Return to Oz for the first time in 10 years (still creepy). Anyway, You've Got Mail is a modern version of The Shop Around the Corner and features a delightful Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks as warring bookstore owners who are secretly chatting with one another (and falling in love) in an online chat room. It's charming and delightful and will make you fall in love with New York and possibility. Also, there is a sequence that takes place over Thanksgiving so technically this is a holiday movie.
5. Harold and Maude (1971) - I dated a guy a few years ago who didn't understand why I love this movie so much. He thought it was morbid and weird (which it is). We were never going to last given his attitude about this movie. There's so much to enjoy about the story of Harold, a young man intrigued with death, who befriends Maude, an almost 80 year old woman who lives life to the fullest. She teaches Harold how to embrace living and live each day to the fullest. They meet at a funeral and Harold does things like stage his death several times to get out of the blind dates his mother sets him up on, but at the end of the day, Harold and Maude is about eccentricity, love, and friendship. It also features a soundtrack by Cat Stevens that becomes a character itself. 
6. Almost Famous (2000) - Say Anything was my favorite Cameron Crowe movie until I saw Almost Famous for the first time. The movie is loosely based on Crowe's on time on the road as a rock journalist in the 1970s, writing for Rolling Stone. Patrick Fugit's William Miller is Crowe's stand-in, a teenage music fan and writer who ends up on tour with the band Stillwater (including Jason Lee and Billy Crudup). He falls in love with one of the Band-Aids, Penny Lane (Kate Hudson), who also happens to be involved with a member of the band. Set to an amazing soundtrack, Almost Famous is everything about 70s rock music I love. It's about fans and bands coming up through the ranks and love (all rock songs are about love). William's mother and sister (Frances McDormand and Zooey Deschanel respectively) are also a treat. If you love music, you should watch this movie.
7. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) - I will always admit to liking hipster things and Wes Anderson movies are probably the most hipster thing I like outside of craft beer and fancy cheese. The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and Moonrise Kingdom are my two favorites. I picked this one for three reasons: Bill Murray, the soundtrack, and Bud Cort. Bill Murray appears in many of Anderson's movies, but this is my favorite of his performances. He's like a less nice, heavier drinking Jacques Cousteau so, you know, delightful. The soundtrack is a mix of rock/pop hits from the 70s and 80s and performances of David Bowie songs in Portuguese (performed by the amazing Seu Jorge). I saw him perform these songs earlier this year and it was wonderful; go see him in concert if you have the opportunity. The movie also features Bud Cort, who we met earlier in this list as Harold in Harold and Maude. He plays an accountant who is kidnapped by pirates because that's the kind of movie this is.
8. Amelie (2001) - When I visited Paris in 2013, one of my planned stops was the cafe featured in Amelie. I spent a day in Montmartre and had lunch at Le Café des 2 Moulins. It was a highlight of my trip. The movie is another movie that I can only describe as "charming." Audrey Tautou plays Amelie, a shy waitress who helps her friends, discovers a secret admirer, and has adventures around Paris. There's also a traveling gnome, revenge, and lots of quirk. It's one of my favorite movies of all time. I could tell you more, but that would ruin it so just watch the movie yourself.
9. Hairspray (1988) - This was the first John Waters movie I ever watched and it will always be my favorite. Set in 1962 Baltimore, Hairspray is at first glance, about a teenage girl who wants to be on a local televised dance show. However, it's also about civil rights, being comfortable with who you are, and doing what's right in the world. This was Ricki Lake's first movie role and she is a delight. Divine plays her mother, Edna, and is the best part of the movie. There's great fashion, dancing, and Vitamin C plays the mean girl. I would also recommend the musical movie version that came out a few years ago despite the fact that John Travolta is terrible in it. Queen Latifah and James Marsden make up for his awfulness. 
10. Elf (2003) - I figured I'd end with a Christmas movie since everyone is now welcome to start decorating and listening to Christmas music if that's your thing. If ever there was a person destined to play a human raised by elves, it's Will Ferrell. He's so perfect for the role of Buddy the Elf; my brother doesn't care for Ferrell and he likes this movie. That's saying something. It's one of the most quotable holiday movies ("Smiling is my favorite.). James Caan is very James Caan as Buddy's birth father and Ed Asner should always play Santa. It's also a little weird and quirky which makes it even better. Enjoy while drinking cocoa and enjoying some maple syrup.

I hope ten is enough movies to get through the long weekend. If anyone has any creative uses for leftovers, let me know. I'm thinking of making waffles out of the leftover stuffing to go with my viewing of You've Got Mail. I feel like those two things belong together.

Next weekend: Your Resident Single Friend goes speed dating. Yes, it's really happening. I wouldn't want my mother to worry that I'm going to die alone.