Manthast
Absolutely amazing
pointyfilippa
The movie runs out of plot and jokes well before the end of a two-hour running time, long for a light comedy.
Tayyab Torres
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Matt Otter
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.
Carycomic
...I do have a bone or two to pick with this film.No, I'm not talking about other thanksgivings that preceded the famous one held by the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags. Like, the one at Jamestown, Virginia, for instance. Or one even earlier (and further south) than that, held by some grateful conquistadors, in Mexico!My nitpicks are centered around the elements of realism Hallmark tried to interject into the film.First, there are the documents Everett shows to Mary. To the best of my knowledge, the 17th-century spelling of Plymouth was "P-l-i-m-o-u-t-h." Yet, the modern spelling is clearly visible on at least a couple of those Xeroxes!Then, there's the climate. When Everett is swinging Mary on that reproduction of her childhood plank-seat swing, at the conclusion, the shrubs still have an abundant profusion of green leaves on them. There's not one multi-colored tree leaf on the lawn. And Mary, herself, is wearing a glorified sun dress!As a born-and-bred Connecticut Yankee, I can tell you for a fact that New England was cold and blustery on Thanksgiving Day, 2013. So, either this movie was filmed in the Mediterranean-like climate of Plymouth, California. Or (assuming they shot it on location, in Massachusetts, at all) it was filmed during the summer months.Yet, in spite of the aforementioned nitpicks, it proved a suitably poignant movie, as I said before. So, anybody with a greater power to suspend disbelief than me...will no doubt enjoy watching it.Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! :-)
hobno-52698
I liked the aspect of combining historic sentiment with this Holiday. This movie also had several underlying themes and I totally enjoyed the greedy boyfriend getting his "do" while riding off into the sunset with his greedy "sidekick". Family values and the family setting are shown as true to life - all families have their issues. It is always good to look at the other side of the "coin" and this movie weaves "food for thought" into the plot. What better holiday to "bring home the family values while respecting history". It showed that the busy grind of today and money over family is not always alive and well. Today the lifestyle is losing traditions and any traditions like Thanksgiving need to be kept alive and kicking. It also gave me thought as to the real history of the first Thanksgiving and made be want to go to New England again. I wish this movie would come out on DVD. So glad Hallmark has autumn and Thanksgiving movies!
boblipton
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.
