Movies the whole family can agree on

It’s Thanksgiving week, which means everyone is going to be searching high and low for foolproof crowd-pleasers for the whole family … movies that is. Yes, food too, but after all the turkey and stuffing have been consumed, avoid the dreaded scroll and queue up a film that can please everyone. These aren’t always easy to find, but here are some choices tested in a lab (read: living room) guaranteed to please most everyone in your life.

First up, kick off the holiday season with Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers.” When this film came out last year, it was an instant holiday classic, capturing the sense of poignant loneliness and surprising unconventional connections that often mark the holiday season. Set over holiday break at a New England boarding school in the 1970s, Paul Giamatti plays a misanthropic teacher stuck watching “the holdovers,” or kids who don’t go home for holiday break. He forges an odd but warm connection with Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph), the cafeteria manager, and Angus (Dominic Sessa) a rebellious student. Wintry and irascible, “The Holdovers” will capture your heart. Stream it on Prime Video or rent elsewhere.

Now hear me out, but I have it on the highest authority that tipsy boomers go absolutely wild for James Mangold’s affable 2019 drama “Ford v Ferrari” starring Christian Bale and Matt Damon, in this story of the development of Ford’s first race car to go fender to fender with the Ferrari racing team at the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race. It’s on Hulu, just put it on an let ‘er rip.

For something a bit more musical and feminine, but just as crowd-pleasing, check out the underseen gem “Wild Rose,” starring Jessie Buckley as a young Scottish singer-songwriter who has big dreams of Nashville as a country artist after she’s released from prison. This wildly life-affirming fable features an incredible turn by Buckley and a fantastic final song written by the one and only Mary Steenburgen. Stream “Wild Rose” on Tubi or rent it on iTunes or Amazon.

Also in the musical vein, pick any John Carney film and give it a spin. My personal picks for this would be “Sing Street” (2016) and/or “Flora and Son” (2023). “Sing Street” follows the formation of a high school band in 1980s Dublin that takes their inspiration from the various popular groups of the day: Duran Duran, the Cure, Hall & Oates, etc. The songs, written by Carney, are all certified bangers. “Flora and Son” takes a similar tack, with a messy single mom finding her way in life by learning guitar on Zoom and making music with her teen son. Eve Hewson (daughter of Bono) delivers a knockout performance. There’s a fair amount of delightfully Irish swearing and naughty references, so just bear that in mind for a mixed crowd. “Sing Street” is streaming on Netflix, “Flora and Son” on Apple TV+.

The charming “Thelma,” which came out this year, is streaming on Hulu, and is an endearing action film starring the 95-year-old June Squibb (who did her own stunts). Written and directed by Josh Margolin as a tribute to his grandmother, this funny and sweet action-comedy proves that thrill-seeking and justice-serving has no age limit.

Or why not throw on Jan de Bont’s 1994 classic “Speed”? This year marks the 30th anniversary of the film that cemented Keanu Reeves as an action icon and made Sandra Bullock a movie star. I can confirm this one still rips with a crowd. Stream it on Starz or rent it on iTunes/Amazon.