Movies

The ending of the film which shows the true meaning of Thanksgiving made the whole effort worthwhile.As the dying mother, Patricia Clarkson deserved an Oscar nomination for best supporting actress. No doubt about that. Her mood swings, her nostalgic look at the past and present, and her memories of a totally out of control oldest daughter were just memorable.That daughter gave plenty of trouble to a rather well-constructed family. The other children seem to have it all on the ball. Even Clarkson's mother, a victim of dementia, seems to be with it at certain times.This is also quite comic with some of the tenants shown in that apartment building. How they come together in the end and form a cohesive unit was a joy to see.My major fault with the film was that it was just too short.

Not too dark. Not too sappy. Not too indie. Not too normal. In other words, this film was just right.

Out of deep brokenness, dysfunctionality, sadness and despair comes a moment of true peace and joy. This is truly a fantastic film. Significantly underrated yet beautiful. The acting is superb on all counts. Without a doubt in my mind it is Katie Holmes best role. These are the kinds of roles to which she'd do well to seek to return. But, the other roles were also exceptional. Those who have seen Newsroom will recognize two of the actors as the younger siblings in this film - Allison Pill and John Gallagher, Jr. Their current acting skills are clearly recognized and on display. And the roles played by the consistently sound Oliver Platt and the underrated but very talented Patricia Clarkson are superb. My wife and I have watched this every Thanksgiving since 2006. It remains the best Thanksgiving movie ever made, in our view.