That was an excellent one.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Admirable film.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

I decided to give this a little extra. Honestly I'd put it somewhere between a 6.5 and 7, but I can't find any Thanksgiving movies aside from the obvious like "Plains, Trains" or Charlie Brown.Most the "top 10" lists have movies that many times have nothing to do with Thanksgiving or are in settings/situations that certainly don't say Thanksgiving to me. Yeah, as others have said, you can't help notice some parts don't exactly seem like they are in fall, but overall this is a nice wholesome film, has a nice family/families coming together for Thanksgiving and it worked for me.So, if like me you are looking for a nice simple Thanksgiving film and aren't expecting the world of it, here ya go.

This sweet film has everything going for it...good cast and writing and a cozy theme. But it is marred for this Virginia native by the film's assertion that the "first" Thanksgiving occurred in 1621 in Plymouth, Massachusetts.In fact, the first Thanksgiving occurred in 1607 in Jamestown, Virginia when the first colonists to colonize what we now know as America arrived in three ships: The Discovery, The Godspeed and the Susan Constant. One of the first things the colonists did was to have a Christian service of Holy Communion and Thanksgiving. They also befriended the Native American tribes in the area and shared meals together. It is important that our media accurately reflect actual American history. Hallmark has an obligation to have said, "the first Thanksgiving in the Massachusetts colony" which would have been the truth and would not have detracted from the film's theme.

The Thanksgiving House is the story of a character's transformation (leading her down the path of forgiveness, to a rebirth, and the embrace of a genuine and unassuming love), all that from her contact with remarkable people.Mary Ross, a successful Boston lawyer, inherits a Plymouth house from her aunt and goes to the "country" with her boyfriend Rick to make an "inventory" of what's been handed down to her. Enters Everett Mather, a local high school history teacher who has been looking for the site of the first Thanksgiving since his teenage years...Aside from Rick and every subplot involving him, the movie is a gentle and smooth ride toward an equally subdued ending. The house in the title is connected to the female lead in ways that explain who she has become both emotionally and professionally. Emily Rose portrays Mary Ross superbly. She is as aloof and detached as ever, with only the occasional display of emotion, but her work would not have been enough to put the movie above the fray this season if not for Everett's parents. The two experienced actor and actress made every scene count and were appropriately used by the story to nudge Mary toward the right emotions and decisions. They provided the kind of relationship she needed to see to understand that she could aspire to something better with her own father and in her own love life. From watching Everett's parents who welcomed her in their lives in an endearing way, she could see she didn't have to settle for what she had and could contemplate working to improve her own little family and look for a better companion. This process was filled with little gems, like when Everett's mother ignored the burgeoning bickering and brought her cookies and then gently forced herself into the house for a chat, or when Parker Mather welcomed her back to their home in a way that really made her feel welcome.The story allowed Mary to interact substantially with Everett and his parents without any of it appearing forced down our throats (or hers for that matter), and the love story (yes there was one), was so subdued that those who expected direct statements and a big kiss before the curtain might have been disappointed. The movie chose to rely on little moments and innuendos, a choice that fitted well with the casting of Emily Rose. The evolution of the relationship was followed exclusively through her point of view, via her interaction with her assistant Victoria and close-ups of their faces. Mary Ross gradually warmed up to Everett and her Olive branch to her father wasn't at all as awkward as it could have been.I understand why, in a way, Rick (the boyfriend) had to be so "beneath" her. Given where she was emotionally, a boyfriend was just for "dating" and arguably chosen solely for that purpose. Still, that relationship (in which they never seemed to spend the night under the same roof) made for the only awkward scenes in the movie. My only other beef with the story is the science behind Everett's research, but that is a minor quibble.I liked how The Thanksgiving House gently brought its leads together, how its female lead found her way back to herself, and how she arguably fell in love with the whole Mather family...

Emily Rose's great-aunt has just died and left Emily her house in Plymouth. Justin Bruening is an amateur archaeologist who has proof that the house is the site of the first Thanksgiving. It's a good set-up for a Hallmark romantic comedy and they carry it out nicely, aided by a supporting cast whose characters all know each other. No one is obnoxious; they simply want different things and that causes the conflicts. This is the definition of a good work of fiction, in which the story arises from character.The plot is good, the writing is good and the actors are good. However, while I wish all Hallmark romcoms were as good as this, I have some issues with the production that will probably strike most people as too picky. One is the fact that all of these people are natives of Massachusetts and only Adam Kaufman has even the faintest trace of a Yankee accent; he sounds like he comes from South Boston. The other is that they might have shot this in Massachusetts in the fall. While there are some setting helicopter shots to establish that, yes, this is Boston and yes, this is Plymouth, they clearly shot the exteriors some place else in the late spring. I spotted some tulips that looked like June and while dead leaves are scattered around, there is no sign of autumn colors. The credits indicate Simi Valley.These are, as I said, niggling issues. Nonetheless, they prevent it from being much more than average good.