Thanksgiving is an opportunity for some leisure time with family and friends, and after a satisfying meal, some may no doubt be drawn to the couch for some quality home entertainment. Here are five movies you should consider watching over the Thanksgiving weekend with your friends and family. ‘A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving’ (1973) This television special from CBS featuring the beloved character from the American comic strip “Peanuts” provides a youthful yet profound commentary about American tradition. It also offers sophisticated homages to the America of years past, including “The Courtship of Miles Standish” and “The New-England Boy’s Song about Thanksgiving Day.” It’s a family-friendly special that appreciates the American history and American folklore stretching back to the colonial era that surrounds the quintessentially American holiday. ‘Spider-Man’ (2002) Long before the malaise of endless Marvel superhero films that all seem to blur together, there was the original “Spider-Man” trilogy starring Tobey Maguire, Willem Dafoe, Kirsten Dunst, and James Franco. Central to the plot of the first installment is a Thanksgiving dinner. No doubt, some Thanksgiving dinners are intense, but hopefully none are as intense as Spider-Man’s Thanksgiving dinner with the delightfully diabolical villain Norman Osborn, played superbly by Dafoe. May your Thanksgiving dinner end better than Spider-Man’s. ‘Ratatouille’ (2007) A central component of the holiday season is the food, and it is hard to think of an animated feature that appreciates cooking more than this Pixar classic about an aspirational rodent named Remy who takes on the French cooking establishment. It might be a therapeutic viewing after a particularly difficult Turkey roast—or resentful, because Remy makes cooking look so easy and the movie’s tagline is “Anyone Can Cook!” Be warned, however, because the soundtrack and portrayal of a dreamy Paris paired with a full belly from a Thanksgiving meal is a recipe for a nap. ‘Ben-Hur’ (1959) If Thanksgiving celebrates the virtue of gratitude, then this film about the fall and redemption of a Jewish nobleman during the time of Christ is essential viewing. I particularly love the film’s portrayal of Jesus’ influence on those around him. The movie is also ambitious in scale, featuring an impressive recreated naval battle and an actual chariot race. In the age of CGI and AI-generated images, the practical effects of this classic film is refreshing. ‘Planes, Trains and Automobiles’ (1987) This road trip comedy starring Steve Martin and John Candy is full of laughs, especially for those who have suffered misadventures in trying to get somewhere across the country. I’ve long been a fan of Martin’s satirical comedy style—from his “King Tut” song to his mockery of the conformity in some Americans’ attempts to break from convention. And this film’s ending is a reminder that family is worth all manner of troubles and inconveniences. The post Here are the Top 5 Movies to Watch This Thanksgiving appeared first on The Daily Signal.